


Crimson Shadow

by Jelaine_The_First



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, Brotherhood, College, Comedy, Hakuryuu being the big bro to Judal, Heroes and Villains, Just a little gore, M/M, Marvel Parody, Minor Character Deaths, Modern Era, Ramen, Ryuu and Jafar being awesome friends, Sinbad being his stubborn self as usual, Sinju will appear as the story goes, hero x villain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-11-17 00:23:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11264136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jelaine_The_First/pseuds/Jelaine_The_First
Summary: Judal was only trying to pass his course, because believe him when he said Falan's glare and sarcastic comment will make him want to skin himself alive. But, this hero came out of nowhere, barring him from completing one of his course requirements which was to kill a man."I believe there's still some good in you.""Nah I'm pretty sure all that's left in me is ramen, Red Bull and spite."This goddamn credit hours better be worth it.





	1. Bloody Trails and a Muscle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I present to you a Sinju AU of villains and heroes! This idea came from Tumblr because that's all where crazy ideas bud. I will tell you from the very beginning that I have no idea on what I write (although I'm pretty sure most of you will realize this is just a very beautifully written bunch of BS). You could imagine it like One Punch Man's universe, except this is from an opposing side.
> 
> Happy reading!

One kill, one property destruction, one company corruption. 

Those quotas -- minus property destruction -- has yet to be met. Judal facepalmed. The mellow dance of the fan cannot extinguish his bubbling frustration. He stared at the Post-it Note at his corkboard, and the note stared back at him. The air in his dorm didn’t help soothe down his agitation at the slightest bit. 

Well, frankly speaking, he **did** sign up for it. Al-Thamen University had always been the victor in the arts of Villainology. His current class, Ways of a Psychopath II, was going to be his downfall if he kept this up. 

Everybody can vouch that he's the weakest, simultaneously the laziest, amongst the students. On the other hand, he scored flying colors in theoretical problems. Judal was a nerd if it comes to psychopathic methodology. He read books on it from cover to cover, and do everything by the book. 

Anybody can think like a psychopath, but not everyone was made to execute them. He remembered the names of all Al-Thamen's star students: Arba from Yemen, Kassim from New Delhi, Lo'Lo from Kuwait, and lastly Ithnan from Nebraska, currently teaching the university in Hypnosis & something involving mindfuckery (Judal didn’t care enough to remember its name). The names were obviously their aliases, _famous_ alias, and they were featured in news once every two weeks. 

His mind was suddenly snatched back to his current predicament. Company corruption was easy, in his honest opinion. He only needed to stir up some trouble -- it's like a domino effect -- and leave the rest to his cunning ability. Companies who didn’t have a strong foundation will fall immediately. Needless to say, Judal still need to write some paperwork on how he planned to do it, when and where, all the extra details. (Goddammit Falan, this is tedious!) 

It all came down to the last requirement; Killing a person. This was the reason only a few people registered for this course. It's not for the faint-hearted, and Judal was driven by grudge and hatred towards his former orphanage, where they had done all sorts of things to him that he didn’t dare to recall. Therefore, he made an oath to kill them one day, and rid the world of one bad orphanage. If he has a degree from Al-Thamen, he can do it without getting caught beause the university will cover it up for him (Although he honestly didn’t need their protection. He just wanted to kill freely.) 

"Ah, it's almost time," said Judal when his eyes saw the clock struck at nine. _Time to find murder candidates_. He changed into his 'villain' outfit; A black hooded sweater with Al-Thamen's emblem plastered at the back (He can never stop being embarassed about this rule) and a pair of jeans. His long hair was fashioned into a braid for easier maneuver. Sneakers on, and he's good to go. 

"Should tell Ryuu that I'm hunting tonight." He pulled out his phone from his pocket and sent a quick text to his best friend. Ren Hakuryuu was a descendant of Arba, and he inherited her thirst for blood. From his outward appearance, he looked like an honest salaryman who would rent a cruise ship for his Valentine. Because of that, he often got an easy route to fulfill his 'requirements' for the class. Even if his deeds were discovered, people wouldn’t accuse him and none would be the wiser. Judal envied Ryuu for that. 

_-Gonna find a head tonight. U wanna come? :3_

_\--No thx. Work._

He 'tch'ed. They were villains-on-the-making, yeah, but they were still students. Ryuu decided to further inconvenience himself by working part-time at a flower shop nearby their dorm. Meanwhile, Judal had himself pampered with scholarship by Kouen, Ryuu's cousin. 

His feet stopped at a corner where he found a homeless man groaning like a dying dog. 

"What's up, old man?" 

Pieces of cardboard laid on the floor, acting as a makeshift bed for the man, with blankets pooled at his feet. He was scrunched forward, hands holding his stomach which was probably the source of the pain. His eyes full of tears, holding the pain within. "Help me…" whimpered the man. 

This was usually Judal's target. People who have no will to live, abandoned by family, living at the streets, body casing chronic disease. All they wished for was death, but even that was asking for too much for some heroes. 

Judal stepped forward, feigning concern. His nose was suddenly attacked with an incredibly pungent smell coming from the man. The downside of his choice. But, he squared his shoulders and bore with it. He's a slave for credits. 

"I can only help with this," spoke Judal in a dangerous tone, with gloved hands showing a pocket knife he has hidden under his sweater. The homeless man was horrified at first, but he began to accept the fate that he's a lost cause. Death was an easier way out. He slowly nodded while saying, 

"Yes, please." 

That was all Judal needed. He held the man's hands and put it around the blade, aiming at the torso. "I wish you safe travels to Heaven…" His crimson eyes shined with eagerness, his mouth cannot contain the smile. 

_Yes, my quota fulfilled! Yes! YES!_

"Hold it right there!" 

**FUCK!**

Who was that? Judal shouted in his mind. His eyes caught a silhouette not far from where they were. The dim street lights didn’t do him justice (Heh) as he can only see a figure with broad shoulders and strong standing pose. All he lacked was a cape, or Iron Man will probably let him join the Avengers. The figure zoomed past the homeless man, lunged at Judal and knocked him away from his victim. They both tumbled on the ground ungracefully. When they stopped, Judal saw the man laid on top of him, and he shoved him aside, cursing in multiple languages (Thanks to Ryuu and his affinity towards Korean and Japanese dramas.) 

Now he had sufficient light shining above them, he can map out the hero's face. Golden eyes, long purple hair, strong nose and equally strong eyebrows. 

_Oh my God he's hot fuuuuuuuuuuu_

Judal stood up before the hero (He's gonna call him that for now) did, and distanced himself immediately. "I HATE YOU!" yelled Judal. 

"What?" Even the voice was deep and sultry _FUUUUUUUU_

"You think you can be a hero just by saving random strangers and look charming!" continued Judal childishly. "I bet you have girls lining up to be your girlfriend!" 

The hero was struck mute by Judal's back to back accusations, and it angered Judal some more. Silence was not gold, it only meant _yes_. 

"Go find some other things to do. This is none of your business." 

"I will not let a crime take place in front of me and do nothing about it," replied the hero. Judal scoffed. 

"Bla bla righteous speech bla _blaaaeegh_. I'm from Al-Thamen, crime is what I (have to) do." 

The hero seemed pretty pissed off by Judal's answer. "It is not right to snatch away a person's right to live. Not by you, not by anyone." 

"Hello? Look at him! He's miserable! I'm only helping him by putting him out of misery," said Judal, not feeling the least bit of guilt. 

Purple hair waved back and forth as the hero shook his head. 

"I believe there's still some _good_ in you." 

"Nah I'm pretty sure all that's left in me is ramen, Red Bull and spite." 

While the hero was dumbstruck, Judal dashed towards the homeless man, skillfully taking him out by breaking his neck. A loud cluck was heard, and the hero was brought back to reality. 

The body of the homeless man laid there lifelessly, and the hero was beyond fury. On the other hand, Judal was despising this method. No blood, no mess, no satisfaction to dwell in. He retrieved his pocket knife from the man's unmoving hands and stored it back under his sweater, his eyes trailing the hero's reaction. 

_Time to go_. Judal casted one last smug look, jut his tongue out at the hero, and escaped from the place using his parkour ability. The hero, who was now completely enraged, attempted to chase after Judal, but it ended in utter failure. It was as if Judal had flown away to safety, or teleported to another dimension. The black-haired man's agility was on par, if not better, with his friend's, Ja'far. He sighed, feeling weak and defeated after witnessing a murder and cannot catch the culprit. He finally took out his cellphone and called 911. 

* * *

Judal let out a groan as his back popped like popcorn on heat. He let out a sleepy yawn, his muscles still sore from last night's activity. Right now, he was walking towards the nearest McDonald's, where he promised to meet up with Ryuu and tell him about last night's achievement. 

_Tch, I even encountered a hero. More than McD, I deserve extra credit_ , thought him, obviously still annoyed by the purple-haired guy from before. As he walked closer to the franchise, he saw Ryuu hanging out at one of the tables, eyes plastered on his Nokia. 

As soon as Judal entered McDonald's, Ryuu looked up as if he can sense his friend. They signaled a quick _Sup_ to each other before continuing with what they were doing before. Judal went straight to the already short queue for food, and Ryuu waited for him at the table. While in line, Judal fiddled with his phone and his ears caught a new set of banters, probably from the two people who just came in. As he scrolled down his Facebook News Feed, he heard a _do your damn job, Sin, we only got four days left_ and a reply _but I'm tired Ja'far I want to dieeee._

Oh, his turn arrived. 

Stepping forward, he ordered his usual while he still hear the people behind him exchanging stern commands and whining, but after a while, he grew deaf to it. 

"Sin, for the love of God, stop staring at his butt." 

"I'm not checking his butt! I'm looking at his braid!" 

Judal silently chuckled. A lot of people found it weird for a grown-up man as him to have a braid, a very long one at that, but he pulled it off quite well so he didn’t care. He ignored the people behind him as they continued talking in hushed tones, _as if Judal can't hear them._

"Pretty sure I've seen it before…" whispered one of them. 

Not long after that, Judal's orders were ready, and he picked them up and moved straight to the ketchup aisle. 

"Sin, come back here!" The man behind him whispered loudly, and Judal could sense someone was walking towards him. 

"Excuse m--" 

"Aaahh!" 

As Judal turned back, his Coke collided with a body and spilled its content on Judal's torso. Great, his favourite shirt now can smell like sugar. The man uttered a series of apologies as he snatched a handful of napkin and attempted to wipe them off Judal, but the black-haired man was already pissed. 

"Watch where you're g--" 

Their eyes met and Judal froze. Everything else went stagnant as his crimson eyes were glued to the pure, _pure_ golden orbs. 

Wait a second… Golden eyes, long purple hair, strong nose and equally strong eyebrows? 

"YOU?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still contemplating whether to do just one-shot or multi-chapters. I will let my mind decide when it's time. It's kinda satisfying to let it end there :D


	2. Those Unfortunate Events We Have

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to (want to) finish this story, for whatever reason I have. As the story progresses, we will have more Sinju moments, but for now these two need to be fleshed out properly.  
> Judal is portrayed as a youngling who is baby-stepping into violence, and he will undergo a bit of shock throughout the story, but he knew what to expect. Just... he didn't know he'd be that shocked.
> 
> And also yay for Hakuryuu and Ja'far for being best friends to them! That's one less headache for me :D

"Why are we running?!" shouted Ryuu. He was currently sprinting in sync with Judal away from the McDonald's. In Judal's grasp was the Big Mac he got for lunch, his Coke long forgotten once he knew the purple-haired guy will probably waste no time in chasing after him. Judal, however, cannot contain his grin. 

"What are you smiling for?" asked his best friend, growing a little annoyed. "Once we're done running, you better tell me what we're running from," said Ryuu, panting slightly as he kept forming word after word. "Or I swear to God, I'm going to shove one of my boss' bonsai up your ass." 

The threat will come off a little strange to people who didn’t know Ryuu, but to Judal who has Ryuu almost 24/7 by his side, he can smell his irritation from a mile away. "I will… Once… We stopped." He wheezed, 

_And Judal stopped running._

Ryuu who was on the lead stopped on his tracks. "… We're not even two blocks away from McDonald's!" He turned around and went back to Judal, who was now breathing life back into his lungs. "Remind me again, how did you pass the parkour class?" 

"Shut…" _Wheeze._ "Up…" _Wheeze._ "Ryuu." 

Because Ryuu was a good friend of Judal, he waited for him to catch his breath. Ryuu examined their surrounding. A Starbucks was located next to them, a Hilton hotel and a small wedding planner shop. No signs of the chaser (if they chased them at all). After a few seconds, Judal's heartpace returned to normal. 

"So," he started, "About that guy." 

"Okay." 

Judal scratched his head, abashed. "He was kind of there when I smooshed my quota candidate." 

Ryuu lifted his eyebrow. " _Kind of_?" 

Judal's red eyes avoided from looking straight into Ryuu's dark grey pupils. "You see, I was about to tell you that in McDonald's, but then there's the hero from last night, appeared behind me like some ghost!" 

"Whatever he did last night, perhaps he didn’t deserve a kick at the nether region." He winced inwardly at the memory. The poor guy will probably need a wheelchair for the rest of the day. Judal's kick can be devastating. 

"He has my wrist in a vice grip!" 

"You could've slapped him and act like he's your ex-boyfriend or something." 

"His boyfriend was probably the guy in white hair with freckles." 

_Oh, is that jealousy I see?_ "I dunno, from what I see you were disturbed at a whole new level when you see him." 

Ryuu's eyes casted a judging look to Judal. Judal stared back at him, portraying his denial. "I **do not** like him." 

"I didn't say anything," said Ryuu with both his hands raised, and he quirked up a smile. 

"It's not like I knew you yesterday, Ryuu." Judal scoffed lightly. Him and Ryuu went way back, as old as middle school. "Your judging eyes are discernible." 

Ryuu replied with a light chuckle. "That explains why you were smiling earlier, huh?" 

"What?" Judal's hands shot up to his lips. "I was?" 

"Given the small chance of you stumbling upon that guy _again_ , and this time under broad daylight, you were probably happy." 

A good amount of stare was given to Ryuu, before Judal sighed heavily. "Don't try to make this sappy." He gave Ryuu a crooked smile. However psychopathic he may act, his mind never left reality. "I don't deserve that kind of fate." He started walking towards their dormitory, and Ryuu followed him close behind. His friend can't help but show pity. 

_It's alright, Judal. Everyone in Al-Thamen don't deserve a happy ending._

* * *

"Since you were rendered disabled by that kid, I will allow you to take the rest of the day off," said Ja'far, exasperated. He had to bring his friend, Sinbad, back to his apartment as Sin was obviously half-conscious with his blood going disarray. Ja'far threw him on his bed and can't help but ask questions about earlier incident. 

He was totally shocked when the teenager shouted at Sinbad, and his colleague grabbed him by the wrist, a grip so strong it will probably leave a bruise. They were acting like they were in a sort of confrontation before, out of his sight. 

"By the way, Sin, was that your ex?" 

Immediately, Sinbad sat up and coughed hard, almost to the point of hurting his lungs. "W-what?" he croaked. 

"I said, was that your ex?" 

The purple-haired man laughed at the ridiculousness of his friend's statement. "At what point of the event that screams 'he was my ex' to you?" 

Ja'far shrugged. "I don't know, when he kicked you at the balls?" 

The man wrinkled up his face when Ja'far forced him to recall how much pain he was in before. It hurt. _Like hell_. It hurt so much that he thought even hell was an understatement. 

"It's a long story, okay--" 

"That's how you usually start a conversation about ex-partners to me before." 

Sinbad made a scowling face to the white-haired man. "All I can say is I assure you, he is **not** my ex." 

"One night stand?" 

"No!" Perfectly groomed purple hair went all over the place as Sinbad messed it up in annoyance. "How much faith do you have in me, Ja'far? Do you really think I would do that?" 

"Yes," said him flat out. 

Sinbad felt as if he was stabbed by the lack of trust from Ja'far, and from the wound came out a whine similar to a dog. "Believe me, pleeeaasee…" 

The assistant only rolled his eyes at Sinbad's act. "Fine, tell me the story. **But** if there's any explicit content, warn me beforehand, or I'm going to make you recall that pain you got from the kid." 

The other man lighted up, and he raised his palm to give Ja'far his oath. "Okay," said him with a beam. 

* * *

"So, Judal." Falan said with coldness. "If I heard things right, you have fulfilled one of the requirements for passing this course?" 

When the two friends reached their dorm, Judal got a call from Falan, saying that she wanted to meet with him at her office. At first Judal thought he was in trouble, but after thinking for a while, he realized this was maybe something totally unrelated to any pranks he pulled outside of class hours, and more to his class works. The office though, felt like South Pole; A rigidity that can turn even a polar bear into a statue of ice. 

He stood awkwardly in front of Falan, who was currently sitting and facing her computer. "Yes, I did." 

"Good." And she fiddled with the screen in front of her, marking something on Judal's record. 

"If I may ask something, Ms Falan?" 

"Only Falan is alright, but go ahead." She stopped focusing on the task at hand and turned to Judal, her hands clasped together and was put on the table. 

"How did you know I 'met' that requirement? Don't you need a proof or something?" asked Judal, obviously baffled at Falan's knowledge on it. "If I recall correctly, I only told my friend, Ryuu, about it, and that was half an hour ago." 

"Judal," said Falan, again with the chill. Her Middle Eastern accent was so distinguished. "Al-Thamen have eyes, _everywhere_. We know what you do. We see everything." 

If he was scared before, he was scared shitless now. "O-okay." He nodded timidly. 

"Anything else, before you are dismissed?" 

He shook his head. It felt so hard to open that one step away from Falan. His whole body was so uncoordinated, as if passing through rigor mortis phase. When he was outside the office, he inhaled a big one. His mind just registered the situation he's in. 

_We know what you do. We see everything._

Fuck, what did he get himself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an answer to Judal's question: He's in **deep shit**.


	3. Sunset Waltz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been listening to FFXV's Somnus for too long, before I realized that this story is going in the same direction. 
> 
> Anyway, FFXV's OST were too beautiful to not to listen to! I recommend you try them, especially Sunset Waltz and Somnus. It fits with this chapter's theme :D 
> 
> Hence I named this chapter after one of the soundtracks.

Nimble fingers slowly swirled the champagne in the tall glass. The reflection of chandelier was reflected on its shiny surface, shimmering with extravagance as though it emitted glitter with every eye that gazed upon it. Aristocrats, businessmen, staff and people of high stats attended the ball at Lincoln Hall, hosted by Sindria & Co. For people who knew the CEO of the company, they would instantly agree that the man will never settle for something less. Sinbad was known for his fetish over gold and luxury, not to mention was also a very **very** handsome man; A guy whom any wives would drop their husbands for and chase after him instead. His attitude filled with chivalric vibe was also one of his charms. He's also passionate on helping people in need, and that was crystal clear from his idea of providing scholarship to people who wanted to pursue business major in colleges. One could say he's a man of no flaws, but his close friends would immediately see his idiocy -- He was called stupid chief for a reason. But one couldn’t deny his vast trading and political knowledge. After all, he did raise his Sindria company from zero. 

Amongst the guests, stood an hourglass figure in bright red evening dress. Nails painted red, white porcelain skin, dark red eyeshadow with thick eyeliner, pink lipstick, red-strapped stilettos, knee-length black wavy hair, pushed back and let loose. Ryuu could be staring at the lady for hours without ever having a clue that it was Judal, the huge prankster of Al-Tharmen. Except this time he's not up for pranking, he's up for _preying_. 

"For a student," opened Ryuu, "you have one hell of a make-up set." 

Judal snickered. "Kougyoku," said him short. "Speaking about me, you're not bad yourself, young man." 

"Don't… speak politely. It's weird." 

The lady (man?) in red pulled a tight smile, concealing his amused laughter. He glanced at his partner-in-disguise, Ryuu. He was wearing a soot black suit with tight grey vest, black bow tie and shiny leather shoes. His hair was also slicked back, revealing his shaped and cleanly shaved jaw. If anything, he resembled a young Johnny Depp. 

Judal formed a small scowl. A man doesn’t have anything fancy to dress in and it bored him. Moreover, he likes to confuse men and women alike with his appearance. That was not to say Judal was not attractive as a man. In fact, he's an utterly handsome boy. However, his features was so rounded and fine, he would look like Kougyoku's twin if he played it right. 

A sound came from the mic up on the stage. A white-haired man in suit stood behind the podium, testing for any technical problems before starting the event. He later invited the CEO to give a small speech. 

Ryuu deliberately moved beside Judal, acting a little protective against him as he saw one or two pairs of eyes checking out Judal's rear. He put his arms behind Judal's lower back, earning a sharp look from his friend. 

"What are you doing?" whispered Judal venomously. 

"Old men are checking out your ass. I'm just trying to help," replied Ryuu, but Judal softly smacked his arm away (They were still partners for the evening). 

"I can take care of myself, dummy." 

"Sure, in the meantime why don't you just lift that skirt and show the world your butt?" 

"You know what? Maybe I'll do just that." 

They looked away from each other with a huff and stayed silent for the rest of the speech. It's just a friendly fight; They both know it's not gonna last as either Ryuu will come to him and begged to go home, or Judal come to the other man to get away from people who he had annoyed with his sarcasm. 

"Ah, CEO's coming down to mingle," said Judal, hands still griping the champagne from earlier. "I'm going to make my move." 

He looked at Ryuu. 

And Ryuu looked back. 

"What?" asked Ryuu. 

"Go away." 

"Wha-- Rude!" said him, but he still walked away and talked to some businessmen, pretending that he attended the ball as a representative from Kou Industries. Meanwhile, Judal gracefully plowed through the crowd, targetting the CEO. 

_Man, walking in heels is the bane of my existence_ , complained Judal, but he can't deny the magic it gave to his already beautiful figure. The pain was worth it, or so they say. 

There were too many people, and Judal got pushed to the side doors as he saw no space for him to squeeze through. Goddammit, this Sinbad guy was surely popular as hell. He saw nothing but old people trying to kiss up his ass over here. After seconds of trying to find a way, Judal settled on the fact that he can't get close to that Sindria's leader, so he executed plan B. 

* * *

He leaned forward, against the marbled balcony, gazing up at the clear black sky peppered with stars. A full moon was shining its finest glow tonight. His eyes scrutinized the grey spots on the moon, as he saw no other thing he can do for the moment. 

The moon was so imperfect, but it's still beautiful. Its beauty isn't like the sun; Radiant and bright, bringing life to the land it shone upon. The moon was only a lighthouse, giving enough light to people in darkness but not bright enough to emanate heat. 

"A lone pretty lady at a balcony," said a dulcet voice from behind Judal. "Boy, it's like James Bond movie all over again." The voice let out a healthy amount of chuckle enough to give warmth. Judal smirked, his back still turned away from the stranger. 

_Plan B: Lure the prey into your lair._

"In that case," Judal turned around, his hair swinging lusciously with a perfect wave, "you should know by now that I'm dangerous." His head tilted a bit to the right and pink lipstick shone as he smirked. From the corner of his eyes, he can see that the CEO was swallowing hard. 

But shit, Judal has to keep his cool and keep up with the act. This Sinbad Al-Bahri guy was his pursuer, the hero who have seen his murder that night. When he searched for a small company around his place for him to corrupt, Sindria & Co. came up first in the Google list. Many have tried to topple this company for years, but it's still standing strong to this day. And Judal likes challenge. 

When he was researching the company, he was shocked beyond his life when he saw that man's face plastered at the title Chief Executive Officer. His plan he had immaculately constructed almost fell shattered to the ground, but if he managed to bring this company down, his name is going to go up there on par with the other Al-Tharmen legends. Silently, he made a choice. 

"A dangerous woman is exactly my taste." The man with purple hair stepped forward and held out a hand. "Sinbad, CEO of Sindria & Co." 

"--And Founder of Sindria Trading Company, and also a low-key actor at Musical Theatre Association, and author of Children's Tale: Adventure of Sinbad." Judal cannot contain his smile as he saw Sinbad's face faltered. "You're the host this evening and it'd be a little rude of me to not know what you do for a living." 

"Ah, you're right." Sinbad chuckled. Not long after that, Judal's palm went to shake his extended hand, startling Sinbad by a little. "You can call me Jude. I came here with the representative of Kou," said him while putting on his best smile. 

"Jude." Sinbad repeated unconsciously. He brought up Judal's hand to his lips and lightly kissed his knuckles. "A beautiful name befitting the lady." 

_I want to throw up. Good Lord this is fucking cheesy_ , thought Judal. He tried his best to hide the laughter from his eyes. Judal quickly looked away and replied, 

"You're flattering me, Mr Sinbad." 

"Just Sin is fine." 

That could be taken in many ways, he retorted in his mind. You do not associate yourself with a man that has a name starting with Sin, or ends with Bad, moreover when his name is the combination of both: Sinbad. 

"Alright, Sin." The sharpness of Judal's pronounciation sent a shiver down Sinbad's spine. The lady in front of him was making him weak in the knees. Sinbad realized he still had Jude's hand in his grasp, and he's not planning on letting go just yet. 

"So how was Kouen?" 

They continued to chat for a little bit, as the talk digressed further and further away from Kou Industries. Sinbad got to know this Jude who was still under Kouen's scholarship to get a degree in business (or so she said), and Judal got to know how Sinbad was out of his working hours. He realized that… 

Outwardly, Sinbad seemed poised and commanding, almost like an old king, but inside, he was nothing but an idiot with unrealistic ideals. He got himself in trouble many times in the past, but his friends were probably the ones holding the brain of the company, so they got to bail him out of them. He also realized that Sindria & Co wasn’t made up around Sinbad only, it's made for him and his comrades. Basically, Judal needed to corrupt more than just the head of Sindria, _he had to go after all of them_. 

Time passed as they continued to joke around and flirt a little along the way. Before they knew it, its nearing the end of the event, and Sinbad reluctantly stepped away from Jude. 

"It's almost time for closing ceremony," uttered Sinbad with face full of regret. "It has been real nice talking with you, Jude." 

Oh, how funny will that sound when he finds out the truth. 

Nevertheless, he gave Sinbad his best saddest smile. "It was a pleasure meeting you too." 

"May I have your number, Jude? 'Cuz you know, we could have coffee together sometime later." 

_Wait, what._

While Judal had (jokingly) planned for this, he didn’t expect it to happen. He certainly was anticipating an accidental eye-meet, a little talk, even flirting was pushing it, but _date_? He let out a nervous laugh, his mind turning its gears. Shit, you fallen hard huh stupid chief? 

"Sure, I don't see why not." _Judal, what?_

His nervousness spread out into his lungs. It's as if Judal forgot how to breath. He was literally lending his cellphone number to his no 1 pursuer, like giving his cut up heart with two hands and a bowing head, to the person who would surely feed it to stray dogs. He can't understand why he wasn’t coming up with an excuse to not give Sinbad his number. Maybe, _just maybe_ , that Ryuu was right. He wanted to see Sinbad again. 

And again. 

And again. 

Before he could rethink about his actions, the white-haired assistant of Sinbad had already called him upon the stage. Sinbad only replied with _just a minute_ and turned back to Judal for a quick goodbye. Judal, that time, never thought that he would do something this stupid in his life. **Ever**. He held Sinbad's hand before he could rush towards the stage. 

Without thinking, Judal kissed his own index and middle fingers, and later put them at Sinbad's lips, gently, romantically. Sinbad's startled lips felt warm on Judal's fingers. Their eyes met for a moment and it felt like the world was theirs. Judal stopped before he lost control of himself and sauntered away from the man; His heart was beating too loud for his own ears. 

When he was out of sight, he leaned against a pillar and loudly exclaimed in his head. 

_WHAT IN THE EVER LOVING FUCK, JUDAL._

No, this was not how it's supposed to be. He cannot love a man from the opposing side. However good their chemistry were, how good they knew what each other was thinking, how warm they sound in each other's ears. 

Judal shook the ridiculous thoughts off his head. His red pupils looked back up, sharper than ever. This college degree was more important, and for that, he will curse his heart into stone or throw it into a pit of fire if it ever comes to that. Swiftly, he slithered in between the crowd and searched for Ryuu. Going back home early was probably a good idea. 

* * *

"Sin, are you okay?" asked Ja'far, worried about his friend-slash-leader. Looking at Sinbad all flushed face and stuttering, especially during the closing speech, it was a little concerning to him. He has never seen Sinbad so utterly speechless, not even when he's drunk. 

Behind the curtains, Sinbad was sitting down on the white plastic chair, his hand over his heart that was beating too fast for his own good. Later, he looked up at Ja'far, eyes shining with confusion and mouth opening and closing like a fish out of the water. 

"Ja'far, help me. What is this feeling?"


	4. He Hath Been Informed Thusly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will be an emotional roller coaster. Prepare thyself. 
> 
> The story will also jump in between he and she for Judal, because its a 'he' when its Judal or 3rd POV, but it will turn to 'she' for Sinbad.
> 
> Also, the title was based on Sheldon Cooper's dialogue lol.

Judal scooped out some ramen with his chopsticks and inserted it in his waiting mouth. Splashes of the soup went everywhere as he slurped. Quietly munching his dinner, Judal's eyes stared deep into his laptop screen, reading the guidelines for his exam which was two days from now. 

Footsteps were heard entering his room, but he didn’t have to look to guess who it was. "You don't have work today?" asked Judal with a mouthful of ramen. 

Ryuu put his shoes by the door and set his bag down on the bed. "I don't work on Saturdays," said him as he peeled off his socks and threw it off somewhere on the floor. It landed in the shape of a ball. "What're you up to?" 

"Revision." 

Ryuu ' _ahh_ 'ed and proceed to bring out his laptop, settling it down next to Judal's spot. While waiting for his desktop to finish loading up, Ryuu was reminded of something. 

"Paperwork done?" 

Judal hummed. Eyes still focused on the guidelines. He set aside his ramen and used his fingers to scroll down, all in complete silence. They stayed that way for about half an hour before Judal stretched his body and yawned like a cat. He smacked his lips, reached for the ramen cup and looked into the empty soup. His mind seemed to contemplate for a second before he slurped some soup and throwing the rest into the sink. 

"Had dinner yet?" Ryuu asked as he looked away from his laptop screen, gently massaging the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. 

"I had ramen." 

"I mean _real food_." 

Judal faked a gasp, a palm settled over his heart. "What do you mean it's not real food?" declared Judal, sounding totally insulted. 

"You know what I mean. We're going out in 30 minutes." 

He gave a sharp glare to Ryuu. A scowl forming on his face. "You're not my dad." 

Ryuu only scoffed, used to the insult after years of hearing it. "And you're not my child too, so suck it." 

Judal stuck his tongue out childishly. He washed his hands and face, and walked back to his laptop to refresh his memories on the guidelines, and he only has 30 minutes to do so or Papa Ryuu will nag at his ears. 

* * *

Today was such a good day; Late March with leaves budding at the trees after months of extreme chill and snow. Judal dressed lightly for the walk while Ryuu wore his autumn coat. His body can't take too much cold even in Spring. 

"Where are we going?" Judal's voice cheerily asked. The weather obviously picked up his mood. 

Meanwhile, Ryuu decided on some options for dinner. "I don't know. Bento or Shish Kebab?" 

"Ewww!" Disgust clearly painted upon Judal's face as he heard 'kebab'. "Kebab makes my burp smelly." 

"So does the ramen you eat." 

"The difference is I like ramen," retorted him. "And it's cheap. _And_ it tastes good." 

His friend only twitched his nose, being so done with Judal's childishness. "You just hate kebabs. Don't find excuses." 

Judal only gave him a grin. "Yeah." 

They both walked at the pavements while searching for good restaurants to eat. The streets were littered with people eager to find diners or food joints, just like Judal and Ryuu. As the day grew darker by the minute, they settled at an Ethiopian restaurant, ordering only one set of meal instead of two. Judal was used to eating for half a person (or at times a quarter), so Ryuu will usually finish the rest of his meal. They continued to chat while eating, but as they eat together from the same plate, they can't help but notice the glances they got from other customers. 

"Oy, Ryuu," called Judal as he put the spoon in his mouth, momentarily licking the taste of spices. 

"What?" 

"I think they thought we're gay." 

Ryuu almost shot out the roti in his mouth, as he coughed **hard** , hard enough for it to echo in the restaurant. His trachea forgot how to function for a while. Ryuu cleared his throat and paused his eating. " _What?_ " 

"Are we gay?" 

"Why are you asking me?" Ryuu asked in disbelief. 

"I don't know. Are you?" 

"Uh uh. I'm not answering that." 

Ryuu continued his dinner while Judal still thinking about the topic. He later shrugged and joined Ryuu in eating their meal. In between the munching, Judal weaved in, "even if I am, Ryuu, I am not going for you." 

This time, it's Ryuu's turn to halt his eating and stare at Judal, torn between getting insulted or relieved. He put down his spoon. "I understand, since I'm apparently too hot for you." 

Judal's mouth gawked open at his friend's arrogant statement, quite shocked. "Bitch, please, I'm pretty!" He flipped his bangs. 

"Kougyoku is pretty. _My sister_ is pretty," answered Ryuu flat. 

"Well, I'm pretti **er**." 

Ryuu only rolled his eyes. They were still in the middle of finishing their meal when Judal continued, "you know what? If I'm gay, I would go for a man who is taller than me." 

"Okay." 

"Oh, Oh! And a man who knows how to command and boss people around." 

"Alright." 

"So I could see how manly he is when he can just snap his fingers and get things done." 

"Okay." 

"I don’t really care how he looks, I just want him to worship me and me alone." 

"Understood, but will you _please eat your goddamn veggies_?" 

Judal muttered a series of cursings under his tone, while he angrily chopped down the veggies and pushed them into his mouth and swallowed them like pills. 

"I want to find a man that's strong, unlike you who's like a veggie," mumbled Judal, but Ryuu caught it. 

"That's it. No more chickens for you." Ryuu forked the last chicken strip and shoved it into his mouth, munching it in front of Judal's face mockingly. Judal's face went from shocked to disappointment to regret to anger. 

"I hate you." Judal glared, but Ryuu only smirked. 

* * *

Judal sat on the chair opposite of Sinbad. It bothered him to the max when he has to be mindful of how he sit at each moment; Sinbad's eyes were inspecting every inch of his body up and down several times. Judal didn’t need the reminder that he's utterly gorgeous in the light pink summer dress he's wearing, but damn _control yourself, stupid chief_. He smiled like an idiot whenever he was caught staring. The worst part was? Judal actually found that absolutely cute. 

It all started when he got a call from sincerely the stupid CEO of Sindria, asking if he has any plans for today. Judal might have debated on the fact that people usually asked if they're free _tomorrow_ or some other day, just not today. When Sinbad bashfully admitted that it's his first time actually being serious on going on a date with someone, Judal found that totally endearing (but stupid still). He can only eyeroll at the comment and said that Sinbad's lucky that his exams just passed and he didn’t have any classes today. And damn, he had never knocked on a girl's door so early in the morning, just for the sake of make-up. 

So here he was, sitting at one of the cafes, listening to Sinbad's prattling on his assistant's tough love practice in the office, which he said and Judal quote, _a walking phone reminder that goddamn flashed into your retina_. He snickered. 

He wasn’t made for peace, then why does he indulge in it so much? 

A nice pre-Summer day, a date with Sinbad, a good hair day. The café wasn’t crowded with people, but it's not exactly empty either. They sat at a corner, away from people so they could have their own private conversation. Seeing Sinbad here smiling like an idiot in front of him placed a type of warmth in his heart that he didn’t understand. Everything was so perfect and peaceful, he felt like he _shouldn’t_ ask for more, even when he could. Something kept gnawing at the back of his mind. It was probably the fact that he was a villain, and he's on a date with a hero. 

But it felt so right. 

"Jude, are you okay?" 

He turned to Sinbad, confusion sprawled on his face. "Yeah?" 

Sinbad let out a sigh of relief. "Because you have been so quiet the whole time." 

It only occurred to him that he was indeed a little silent today. "I'm sorry. I'm just not in the mood to talk." 

"Is it me? Did I talk too much?" 

"What? No." Judal shifted in his seat, his hand still connected with Sinbad. "It's not you. It's one of those days, you know?" said Judal, quirking his lips into a smile. 

Sinbad nodded with a small chuckle. "I was afraid for a second that I talked too much about work." In his head, he silently cursed himself for not separating his work from his love life. That was the main reason why his past relationships failed; His commitment was placed 100% on Sindria & Co. and not his lover, which drove them away no matter how romantic and persuasive Sinbad is. 

"You're fine, Sin," convinced Judal. He glanced at his watch and realized it was already 4 in the evening. He has got to prepare for tonight's extra credit activity. Crap. "Sin, I gotta go. Some stuff with my class tonight." 

"O-okay." He unwillingly let go of Jude's hand and observed as she picked up her stuff and handbag. 

"Then, call me if you need anything." 

Sinbad awkwardly smiled, muttering a silent okay. He waited and waited for Jude to walk away… 

But she's still standing here, as if waiting for him to do something. 

"Well?" She cocked her perfect brow. "Aren't you going to kiss me?" 

_OH YEAH!_ It clicked in Sinbad's mind. Slowly, he leaned forward, his body jerked backward and forward a little as he was extremely nervous and uncertain. When he did, he closed his eyes, waiting for Jude to make the kiss happen. 

Judal almost laughed seeing how awkward Sinbad was. He can't even give a snort, which was horrible. It's very unbecoming of a lady, says Kougyoku, so he settled with a (very restrained) smile. Judal tiptoed and met Sinbad's lips halfway. 

It was a quick kiss, but it felt warm and beautiful. It was more than Sinbad could handle. His eyelids shot up and he blushed into dark crimson hue, almost like a virgin in kissing. This time, Judal couldn’t help but laugh. "Oh my God, you're so _freaking cute_." 

The hand that shot up and pinched Sinbad's cheek was purely unintentional, and so was his sincere smile of happiness. 

Sinbad thought he saw heaven. 

* * *

Before he walked into Sinbad's office, he can already _smell_ the contented feeling of his leader. He pushed the door and brought with him the documents Sinbad needed to approve and sign. Inside, Sinbad was doing his work. 

What. 

Sinbad was doing his work, with a smile. 

Ja'far needed to let that sink in his mind as he stood at the door. His mind turning its gears, thinking at what could possibly drive Sinbad into this… godly of a madness. 

"Ah, yes, Ja'far. Do you need anything?" Sinbad looked up from his work and saw Ja'far standing frozen at the entrance of his office. 

"Who are you and what did you do to Sinbad?" threatened Ja'far. 

That managed to make Sinbad stopped working, and Ja'far cursed himself for doing it. _Just when he was actually doing his work_. Sinbad pouted. "I'm in a good mood today." 

"Ooookaaayy?" The questioning tone in Ja'far can only mean that he demanded explanation. "Do you want to explain or should I just jump into conclusion?" 

Sinbad hummed for a second and looked at Ja'far, allowing him to guess. 

"Alright. So you went on a date." 

His eyes widened with shock. "H-how?" 

"Come on, Sin, even Spartos could tell from your cologne." Sinbad smelled himself. Ja'far's right, the cologne he wore during his date with Jude that evening was still there, even after he changed his outfit. 

"And that would also explain your silly smile." 

This time his hand went to cover his mouth. Afterwards, he winced. "Oh… That bad, huh?" 

"I wouldn’t say it's bad." Ja'far stepped towards Sinbad's desk and put the documents at an empty side. "That person made you do your work. If you ask me, I'd say, marry this person." 

The leader laughed heartily, in his mind he was full glad that Ja'far liked Jude before he met the lady. "Remind me again, when was the last time I went out on a date?" 

"Why are you asking me about your personal life?" asked Ja'far as he sat down at one of the chairs in front of Sinbad. 

"You have been my secretary for more than 20 years, it's kinda hard for me to keep track of my schedule, even more so on my life." 

The assistant only shook his head while sighing. He can't say that he's glad to hear that fact. "Six years ago, with a girl named Serendine. She ended up slapping you because you poked on a sore spot for a topic." 

It wasn’t supposed to be funny but Sinbad found himself laughing. "Oh my Seren, she's pretty but so vicious." 

"Not to mention, she was also the one who asked you out and dumped you at the same day." 

Both men chuckled. Sinbad's past relationships were ridiculous when recalled. Sinbad has this weird charm that attracted the strangest of girls. 

"So what about this new girl?" 

The purple-haired man seemed to beam at the mention of his new crush. Sinbad faced Ja'far, pushed aside his laptop and clasped his hands on the desk. "Her name is Jude Blanc, a business student under Kou. She was there at the ball last week, that's when I met her." 

"Isn't Kou our rival?" 

"Ehh, it's not official," Sinbad brushed it off with a wave of his hand. "Anyway, Jude was outright sassy and delicate. She has this silent dangerous vibe in her, you know, like a spy in James Bond movies?" 

Ja'far didn’t care to intrude Sinbad's introduction of Jude, even though it sounded awfully biased. "Okay, continue." 

"And, and, her movements was slick but also hard and defined, it was almost masculine in a way. And when she talked, her voice was so deep and calm, I think that is utterly sexy. Her eyes though, you should have seen her eyes, it was so sharp, pretty, _so red_. Thing is, she doesn’t like physical contact much, but when I hold her hand, she just straight up melted, ugh I hate it when I'm weak to that. And--" 

"--Sin." 

"…Yes?" Sinbad blinked. 

The white-haired man released a sigh. "Just know that I'm glad you found love again," said Ja'far because he wished that Sinbad would just stop talking about Jude. The leader only gave him a grin. 

"Thanks, Ja'far. It felt like I'm falling in love the first time again." 

He only replied with an eyeroll, he did not like it when Sinbad tried to make a conversation sappy just to get away from doing work. He pulled the files he brought in before. "I get you, so let's talk business now." 

* * *

Judal sat on the tree branch as he waited for his target to appear. His hand supported his head, and the other hand rested on his thighs, torso bending over lazily. Ryuu used to warn him that he will end up being the old man with hunched back living in a dark haunted house, if he kept doing that. He sneered. Ryuu and Kougyoku are like the family he never had. 

And yet, he turned out like this. He felt like an ungrateful bastard sometimes, but when his nature leans so much towards violence, there's almost nothing who can stop him from thinking other than blood. 

Before he could daydream some more (is it even considered daydream when it's night?), his target appeared in front of a building not far from his spot. With movement as graceful as a cat, he jumped off the tree silently, and approached him. 

Muu Alexius, a man from Tel Aviv, carried a suitcase containing a research worth 20 million dollars, as briefed by Falan. She said whoever succeed to steal the documents in the suitcase will be given extra credit and a recommendation letter from her. Like hell Judal would let that slip away. 

He sneaked in closer to Muu, his eyes casting a straight gaze at the suitcase. His plan was simple; kick, grab, run. 

Muu's attention was focused solely on his phone, checking his schedule for anything new, when suddenly a bump was inflicted upon his ribs. He jolted slightly and looked at the direction of the bump. 

It was Judal, and he was standing there with his leg still on Muu's ribs. His face painted a thousand dumbstruck. He tried again with a back thrust kick to Muu, but the target only looked at him with the same amount of confusion. No signs of pain at all. 

After three consecutive kicks with no results, Judal changed his plan. For someone as weak as him, even a kitten could overwhelm Judal, hence he always had an alternative method. He pulled out a pepper spray and locked on Muu's face. The scream of agony reverberated in the empty pavements in the darkness of night. As Muu tried to wipe the sting off his eyes, he frantically swung the suitcase everywhere, resulting it to fly into Judal's grasp. The thief smirked. He sprinted away as soon as he caught the briefcase. At about two blocks away from the original scene, Judal slowed his run. He's nearly out of breath when suddenly a figure collided with him from behind, knocking him over a distance away. 

Damn, he can't catch a break. 

He lifted his face when he was expecting that Muu guy to chase after him, but surprise surprise, it was Sinbad! Where in the world of Solomon he appeared from, Judal didn’t know. And he _really have a thing over knocking down his enemies, doesn’t he?_

Judal scrambled back on his feet, his eyes searched for the suitcase. It was at a corner of the street they were in, and before he could dash towards it, a punch came to his face. He scrawny body was thrown at the impact. 

"Didn’t think you would have the nerve to show up again," said Sinbad simply. He unbuttoned his sleeves and folded it up his muscular arms. "Don't think I will let you go again this time." 

The other man stood up, even though a bit wobbly on his feet. Man, Sinbad's punch really messed up his jaw. Actually he might have a concussion too. Judal glared at him, his crimson eyes shone like blood on a knife. 

_You asked for it, man._

Sinbad, again, zoomed towards Judal with a punch, but Judal dodged it with a slight move to the left. As Sinbad kept pushing blow by blow, Judal found that he has a pattern. Sinbad's punches were deadly, but they were slow and repetitive. However, he must give kudos to him as some of them were extremely creative and hard to execute, even for a person as big as Sinbad. 

For Judal, he wasn’t the type to swing punches, but he's a dodgy type; A cunning apponent. He usually avoided everything unless he's caught off guard, like he did before. Judal's nimble body usually makes his opponent mad, and therefore, will make more reckless moves, and that was when he strikes at the places where it really hurts. 

After two minutes with no attacks landed on Judal, Sinbad stopped. He panted heavily, thinking that he's severely out of shape and planned to kidnap Masrur and Hina for occasional sparring in the future. As he bent over and supported himself on the knees, a blunt object hit his stomach, beating the air out of his lungs. Another hit came at the same spot, and after four consecutive hits, Sinbad was toppled over. 

Seeing his challenger weakened, Judal climbed on top of him, punching him hard several times. Just half-conscious wasn’t enough, he needed him to black out. Judal himself was weak, and with the injury he have (even though it was only one hit), he could be killed the next time he was attacked. 

_How many times do I have to punch this fucker?!_ exclaimed Judal in his head. It has been, what, twenty punches, and Sinbad was still groaning, very much alive and awake. By the nth punch, Sinbad's hand shot up and caught Judal's fist. He gasped. 

They tumbled on the street, reversing their positions. Now Sinbad landed on top of Judal. His hand locked both of Judal's wrists above his head, pinning them on the road dusted with pebbles. He directed an intimidating look at Judal, hoping for the thief to get scared at least. 

But at this moment, Sinbad finally have the time to really study the culprit's face. Pitch black hair with eyes the color of a red cherry, fair skinned and very very thin. A speck of blood was hinted at a corner of his pink lips, probably from the punch he gave from the beginning. The body squirmed to break free of his lock, but it was for naught. 

"… Jude?" The word was spoken so soft, it's almost as if for his own ears to hear. 

The body stopped struggling. Heavy breathing was heard in the silence that crept in between them. Judal was facing to the side, and his eyes looked at Sinbad sharply. 

"Jude, answer me," insisted Sinbad. 

"I don’t know what you're talking about." 

"Jude, please. I know it's you!" 

Judal closed his eyes. He knew this was coming, long before they met. "Let me go." 

"I'm not. Why are you doing this?!" 

"Sheesh, don't yell," he muttered, but quickly continued, "It's for extra credit." 

"Huh?" 

"I told you I'm attending college." 

Sinbad kept his silence as he listened. 

"It wasn’t for business, it was for crime." 

The homeless man, attending the ball, meeting him in private, the stealing. Now it all clicked in Sinbad. 

"How could you?" was the only thing Sinbad could say. His expression was one of pain, not believing his love's fate to fall back into the void. 

"It was never meant to go that far." Judal chuckled breathlessly. His cracked lips hurt so much. "I'm not even a woman." 

Sinbad can see that, but he wasn’t bothered at all. "Then all of it… was a lie?" 

_No_. "Yes." 

He forgot to breath as he heard that ruthless answer coming from Judal. Rage overcame his heart, and without thinking, he pulled the hardest punch he could manage. Judal's nose and mouth splattered blood, his lips was bruised. 

Sinbad lifted himself off Judal, releasing him from his death grip. He retrieved the suitcase and turned his back to Judal. "Don't show your face in front of me again." 

With all the strength he had left, Judal sat up, his bruised mouth snickered. Silently, he chuckled again. 

_A villain can never have a happy ending._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It wasn't supposed to be long :'D *cries while editing*  
> But it was meant to have Judal learn something about his life.


	5. A Storm is Coming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit short, but the story will pick up starting from here. Shit will start to go down, if I must say. I will try to insert a few comedies if I can, because nobody likes a full "hurr durr this is serious story". 
> 
> Enjoy and happy reading! <3

Ja'far has been working with Sinbad since he was eleven, but he had never seen his leader so dark and brooding. Sinbad can be described as anything, but volatile is not one of them. The air in his office was so suffocating, Ja'far can't stand being alone with him for more than five minutes. Once he sat at his desk, Ja'far shook his head. "Whatever is causing his mood today, I'm not grateful for it." 

Drak who was located next to his cubicle heard Ja'far's complain, and proceed to look over. "What's up, Jaf?" 

The white-haired man only let out a sigh. "It's Sin." 

"Oh yeah, what's wrong with him today? Hungover?" 

"No," he quickly denied. "I know if he's hungover, and this is not it." Ja'far put on a thinking face. "It's definitely something else…" 

"Is it about the company then?" 

"As far as I know, we're in good shape." He opened some files and began browsing through some important details within. "Yeah, it's not the company." 

That managed to raise Drak's attention. He stopped doing his work and completely shifted his focus on talking with Ja'far. "His personal life then?" 

Ja'far snapped his fingers. "Jude!" 

The other man only lifted his eyebrow. "Who's that?" 

"His date yesterday." 

"If you have time to gossip…" 

They heard a gruff voice interrupting the conversation, and it sounded so familiar but alien at the same time. 

"…Then focus on doing work instead," said Sinbad as he walked back into his office, leaving a faint scent of caffeine in the hallway. The both of them were silenced by Sinbad's coldness, and they looked at each other, exchanging a baffled look one last time before returning back to their work. 

This was going to be a _looooong_ day. 

* * *

At the hills, sat a figure in a sleeveless white shirt and tracksuit, with long wavy hair left unbraided and scattered on the ground like spilled Indian ink. The thin male had sat there since afternoon, and hadn't move since. 

"Judal, you okay?" 

Judal felt a gentle nudge on his shoulder, and he looked over to find Ryuu's hand. His eyes later resumed their empty gaze on the horizon, ignoring Ryuu's call. 

The man has been awfully quiet since last night's failed attempt on extra credit activity, but Ryuu knew that's not what's bothering him. "Judal, come on, you're making me worry." Ryuu sat beside Judal. "What was it about last night? You know you can tell me, right?" 

It still hurts when that memory was recalled, hence Judal felt the need to be silent. He shook his head without looking at Ryuu, adding to his worry. On the other hand, Ryuu really wanted to help his friend but he couldn’t when Judal was so reserved and silent about it. Usually, Judal will tell him about his day without Ryuu asking. When he's put at the other's position, he felt awkward. Moreover when Judal appeared at his door last night, his face wearing bruises and cuts far beyond simple scratches, he knew someone had been through a fight. 

When the silent treatment went on towards midnight, Ryuu felt it's time to call upon backup. 

"Kougyoku?" Judal's voice raised a bit, puzzled by his (closest) female friend's presence at his doorstep. 

Kougyoku gave him a soft smile. "How have you been, my dear?" 

A scoff came from Judal. "Could be better. Why are you here, old hag?" 

Without any invitations ('cuz she doesn’t need any), she waltzed into the room and settled herself on his bed, patting the seat beside her. "Come here." 

Judal replied with an eyeroll. "Ryuu told you, didn’t he?" 

"Judal-chan…" 

"Leave me alone." 

Kougyoku gave him a knowing stare, and it angered Judal to no end. He hated it when she judged him from just her gaze, and most of the time she was right. 

"What happened with that guy?" asked her. 

"You don't get it, do you?" Judal felt as if he's seething hot steam from his ears. "When I said I don't want to talk about it, **I don't want to talk about it**." 

"Then don't run away from my gaze," said Kougyoku, surprisingly in a commanding tone. 

"Shut the fuck up, hag." 

"You can't find peace just from bottling it up inside you." 

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Driven by fury, he grabbed a water kettle and threw it at the wall, resulting in a crack and a broken electric device. 

Meanwhile, Kougyoku wasn’t faltered at the least. She was used to this side of Judal; She grew up with him alongside Ryuu. When she tried to call out to Judal again, she realized… 

… That Judal was crying. 

She lifted herself off the bed and walked near Judal. "Judal-chan…" 

"He broke it off with me," said Judal out of the blue. His face surprised by the sudden wetness that felt strange on his face. "I shouldn’t have liked him in the first place, but damn _I wasn’t asking for it_." Finally, Judal broke down. He sniffed and sobbed, wiping his face with untrained hands like a child. "Is this what you call heartbroken, 'cuz it's damn painful." 

Feeling her eyes almost spilled the dam, she hugged Judal, hoping that he won't push her away. 

And he didn’t. 

"Judal-chan," whispered Kougyoku, in an attempt to soothe him. "I'm so sorry." 

Judal sniffled, softer and softer as the time goes by. He didn't hug Kougyoku back, but he knew he needed company. Kougyoku's warmth near him was enough for now. If not because of them, he might break down and never be a full person again. Once his crying died down, he uttered, 

"Hey, Kougyoku." 

It felt really out of place to call her real name. Kougyoku looked up. "Yes?" 

"Don't tell Ryuu." 

Without telling her the rest of the sentence, she nodded. _Because Ryuu would probably kill that guy_ , they thought in sync. 

"Also," continued Judal, "In one month, find a safe place, away from Al-Tharmen." 

She loosened her hug, giving a bit of distance between her and him. "Why?" 

This time, Judal's red eyes looked straight into hers. "I don't know, but I don't feel good about it." 

* * *

"Ja'far," called Sinbad before his assistant could walk out of his office. "I have a favor to ask of you." 

Ja'far turned back as soon as he got called. "What is it, chief?" 

"Investigate about an organization called Al-Tharmen." 

The assistant only cocked his eyebrow. "And for what, if I may ask?" 

"I remember Ju-- a certain person I knew before-- was from Al-Tharmen, and the organization supports crime," explained Sinbad, avoiding saying Jude's name at all cost. 

"If it's crime we're talking about, shouldn’t we be reporting it to the police?" 

"I felt like we can take this matter into our own hands," said Sinbad confidently. "If you still remember the serial killing we have on tv for the last few years, and the most recent being the murder of that homeless guy that happened right in front of my eyes." 

"Yes, I do," said Ja'far, "but still, it's dangerous, Sin. We don't know what they were hiding. They could be selling weaponry for all we know!" 

"I don't care." Sinbad's being stubborn with his decision. "It's for the good of mankind. What's wrong in sacrificing a little?" 

" _Sacrificing a little?_ Sinbad Al-Bahri, may I remind you that you are endangering the thousands of lives living under the name of this company?" 

Silence crept in between them. Ja'far stared at Sinbad, and he was stared back. The both of them didn’t back off at the voiceless fight, and in the end, Sinbad gave up. 

"Alright, Ja'far. Then I myself will investigate." 

"--No! Sin, don't be an idiot! Do you not hear what I just said?!" 

"I will go undercover as myself, not as a chief of Sindria, nor as someone of title." He stood up and walked to the exit. "I will go as Sinbad." 

As he closed the door, Ja'far was left alone in the empty room, leaving him muttering to himself. 

"Sinbad, the Man of Justice…" He sighed. One thing Sinbad didn’t know, he was never a man without a title. Only his friends are aware of that. Ja'far walked back to his desk, his worry mounting up as the clock ticks. 

Only God knows what Sinbad was plotting.


	6. The Starting Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have added some new tags for the story. It is seriously turning into some morbid stuff. 
> 
> Also, the timeline in this chapter is backwards. Sinbad's part was the most recent.

Sinbad skimmed through the documents he got from Ja'far earlier this morning; All regarding the organization called Al-Tharmen. As his eyes read through the reports collected starting from almost a hundred years ago, he can't say he's happy about it. All of it were cases of corruption, killings and anything in between. His face scowled in disgust. 

His plan was to put a stop to it, _but how?_ He doesn’t even know where to start looking. Their bases have been kept secret for more than fifty years, and he's pretty sure they don’t plan on being discovered soon. His hands massaged his temple. The burden of fifteen years of working was starting to get to him. 

A knock was heard. 

"Come in." 

Shiny leather shoes came stepping in, with a white-haired man neatly dressed in a formal attire. "Sin, someone dropped this at our reception desk." 

A pale yellow file transferred hands. The CEO proceed to look at the first page he saw, and he was shocked beyond belief. 

"Al-Tharmen's employees data?" It was more of stating the obvious rather than a question. Ja'far, who's standing in front of Sinbad's desk, expressed a worried face. 

"Either we have inside people who decided to give a hand, or outside people who already knew about our plan." 

Any direction this plan was taking, it's going rather smooth. However, they can't help but feel wary of the sudden information leak. From an unknown personnel nonetheless. 

"Do we trust this information, Sin?" 

Rough calloused hands slipped back the papers into the file. "We don't have much of a choice now, do we?" 

"Assuming the things in there are true," Ja'far folded his arms across his chest, "one of the headquarters can't be that far from here." 

Sinbad nodded. He was hoping it to be reachable by community, hiding under the city's hustle and bustle. But still… 

"Does the people at the reception desk recognize this person who handed the file?" asked Sinbad full of curiousity. 

"They said," answered Ja'far almost immediately, "it was a man in his early twenties." 

It's hard for Sinbad not to think of Jude being the one behind it. 

* * *

Two weeks has passed since that night Judal was beaten half-dead. The days that gone by were pretty uneventful, if Judal says so himself. He was actually thankful for that. He was only going to and from his classes with his legs moving from sheer habit. 

As usual, Ryuu can't help but get worried over Judal who is now a complete robot in executing his daily life. And Ryuu won't say it upfront, but he realized that Judal was eating less and less. Judal usually tells him to stop being such a worrywart, only for it to fall on deaf ears. 

"You're telling me not to worry over you when you were so noisy when we first met and now you hardly speak five words in one week," said Ryuu last weekend. 

Judal's usual respond is a sarcastic scoff, followed by yet another silence. 

Ryuu was suspicious -- _way_ too suspicious -- as the Judal he's witnessing these days were nothing like the old Judal he met ten years ago. He's grown more serious and borderline professional. Ryuu have to say he quite liked the change but he does want to know what has driven his dear friend to such drastic change. Judal just brushed it off with a shrug. 

"Time flies." 

And Ryuu was left with all the puzzles in his mind. It was as if they had switched roles; Ryuu the attentive friend and Judal the thinker. Concerned questions from Kougyoku also didn’t help by the slightest bit. He still remembered that night when he heard crashing sound coming from Judal's room, and Judal's angry cry from behind closed door. 

How he wished he was the one calming him down instead of Kougyoku. 

Judal, to him, was more than a friend. Not a lover, no -- Ryuu cowered at the thought. If anything, Judal is his brother, from another mother and father. A long lost cousin. A best friend from his past life. He can't remember the time when Judal was not by his side teasing people he met along his life. When he was down, all he needed to do was recall the times when Judal tells people about his morbid jokes, and he would laugh. People didn’t understand, but Ryuu did. Nobody can connect to him at such a personal level. 

Time and time again, Ryuu thought if he really understood Judal in his entirety. Does he only know him from the fun side, and will be thrown into a pit of darkness if he was to encounter the other side? 

Ryuu promised himself to be Judal's pillar of strength, for as long as he breathes. And the people who made Judal cry will have a Hakuryuu to answer to. 

* * *

For Judal, his days were filled with nothing but homeworks and plans. Big plans. Last Friday, a man came up to him right after he exit one of his college buildings. 

Judal was more than ready to pull out his special move: The Crotch Crusher, but in front of the man, it's as if he was put under hypnotize. 

Sol was the name of the man. He had average curly hair, long and slicked back with hair gel, reaching his hips, which was put into a ponytail. A few strands of hair fall to his face, just beside his right eye, and before his ears. Judal can't say he's dressed formally -- his leather jacket screams nothing like it -- but he sure means business. That reminds him, Judal was more interested on where that Sol guy got his sunglasses. And also the closed eye tattoo on his forehead. 

"Regarding Al-Tharmen," was the first words he said to Judal as soon as they were miles away from his college. Judal would be lying if he said he wasn't alarmed by it. 

An outsider suddenly wanted to talk about the secret university he's studying in; If Judal was in a mafia movie, he's pretty sure he's doomed to face death in under thirty minutes. That or a car chase action. 

"What about it?" asked Judal arrogantly. 

"I'm here to help you get out of it." 

_Who does he think he is, an angel?_ thought Judal. "I don't need salvation. Instead, I'm content with my life as is. Grab your so-called help and go to someone who actually needs it." 

The pitying look from Sol sparked a flame of anger in Judal. He didn’t need help, if anything he needs food damn it, it's freaking lunch time! 

"Have you ever thought of death?" 

His hunger was replaced by shock in under a second. Judal recalled his ridiculous idea of the chances of him being in a mafia movie. As he stood there like a deer caught in the headlights, Sol continued. 

"Holding a job as a villain of the city, has it ever occurred to you that death can come whenever you come across a hero?" 

_Once, or twice_. "That's none of your business, creepo," was what he replied instead. Although the sunglasses placed on Sol's face was dark and almost opaque in color, Judal can sense his sharp stare, one that could outdo a bear. Sol later sighed. 

The silence didn’t go as silent as Judal thought; His mind went back to Sol's words. Now he can't stop thinking of the what-ifs. What if Sinbad wasn’t as merciful the night he went after Muu? What if Sinbad wasn’t the one who caught him killing that homeless guy? What if he never met Sinbad, and it was another hero? 

Silently, Judal gulped. Now the term _lucky_ sunk into his gut, weighing it down with the burden that comes with his past actions. 

"I see that you're reaching a turning point in your life," the eyes behind those sunglasses seemed to twinkle. "Judal." 

Goosebumps raised across his skin as if mushroom growing after rain. With eyes full of horror, Judal looked at Sol. "What are you, some kind of God?" 

"Nothing as impressive." Honeyed voice chuckled. "But one could say I'm one of the underlings." 

_Oh shiiiiiiitttt_. "Angel of Death?" 

Sol laughed again, this time his tone raised by a notch, amused by Judal's blind guess. "Let's continue this more calmly, shall we?" His thumb pointed towards a hot dog stand not far from where they stood. "You're not yourself when you're hungry." 

Judal's nose wrinkled, loathing that commercial. "Oh my God, that was so last decade." He walked past Sol to go to the stand, turning his back to Sol as the man's face went astonished as if he was hit by a sudden realization. 

One hot dog and a Coke later, Judal was sitting at one of the benches in the park, eating with this stranger who don't seem to go away soon. He started, "I'm too far deep into Al-Tharmen. Are you sure you don't want to find someone more suitable?" 

Sol's eyes followed Judal's movement as he casually sucked the Coke from his straw. "I have my criterias." 

"Why not Ryuu?" sprung him out of the blue. 

"He," Sol paused, "will not listen to a stranger's request." 

"And what makes you think I will do better than him?" 

"You," Sol's finger pointed at him, jokingly, "have a conviction which Ryuu does not posess." 

"As to what?" Judal's thin eyebrows cocked at one side. 

"To finish your course." 

Shit, this man wasn’t kidding. He said he wasn’t a God, so he's probably a lesser God then. The only place Judal ever expressed that was in his mind, and last time he checked, he was pretty sure the world hasn't invented an app to hear other people's thinking. " _Who exactly are you?_ " 

Those thin lips formed a smile with no ill intent. "I am the same as you, Judal ibnu Sawda'." 

Judal stood up as he heard his full name was called. " **Stop fuckin' around**. You either tell me what you want or I'm outta here." 

"Ah, my apologies," said Sol as he raised both his palms, trying to calm Judal down. "I never meant to bring hostility within you." 

Judal looked away, crossing his arms over chest, and a rough scoff through his nose. "Then don't call other people's full name as if you're their dad." 

At the word _dad_ , Sol stiffened. Judal thought he hit a nerve. 

"As I said before, Al-Tharmen has their eyes on you. Before this, there were similar cases where they searched for a determined student to land a study on." His hands pulled out a thin file out of nowhere, probably from underneath his leather jacket, Judal thought. Sol continued, "Their tests and researches were inhumane, but from their success, their test subjects obtained greater prowess." Sol carefully handpicked three papers from his file and handed it to Judal. 

Scheherazade bintu Fadhl. 

Yunan Eadrich Jabari. 

Aladdin Jehoahaz Abraham. 

Judal silently read their names, his questions building up in his mind. _Who are these people? Where are they from? Why is Sol giving these informations to him? At what point does these people is gonna be significant?_

From the pictures included at the profiles, Judal realized that Aladdin's face was almost similar to Sol's. He looked up. His eyes sent a voiceless question to him. 

"Yes, that is my son, if that's what you're asking." Even behind those glasses, Judal can see his eyes smile as fondly as his lips. But underneath it, there's an unspoken sadness in which Judal doesn’t dare to venture. 

"So, what about these people?" Finally, the big question was asked. 

"These are what the Al-Tharmen call Magi," started Sol. "They were captured without consent from their home -- Scheherazade being the first victim -- and they were the successful test subjects that I mentioned before." 

"Successful?" Judal felt like Sol was hiding something from him. The man only nodded before shifting his gaze to the floor. 

"Successful ones are the subjects who managed to live after they were installed the Eye of Magi." Then he looked at Judal. "Although for how long, it was not known." 

_Eye of the Magi?_ Judal's expression was enough to tell Sol that he wanted to know more. 

"It's an eye that enables the user to see elements and energy of the world, making him or her able to manipulate them however they please." 

Judal whistled in awe. This is some advanced science shit. 

"Although, it comes with a cost." The face full of disdain that sprawled across Sol's before disappeared, and from there comes a firm look that tried not to bomb Judal with all of the truth. "I can say the way Eye of the Magi was installed is rather… barbaric." 

"What did they do? Shove the eye into your forehead?" Judal still hasn’t lost touch with his dark humors, even after all these years. The question was supposed to be fooling around, but Sol's unchanging face made Judal lost his smile. "N-no shit…" 

Sol looked away, his face almost pitiful. 

"My brain is gonna leak out, those morons!" shouted Judal in bewilderment. "No, scratch that, I'm gonna die from blood loss!" 

"I know this is going to be tough on you, and some people can't take that much pain--" 

"-- Some people that is!" Judal can't help but point his index finger at the file Sol was carrying. "I'm betting there's more than hundred people in there, and they're the people who didn’t survive the experiment." 

Sol's astonished face answered everything, from Judal's accusation of the experiments to his unbelievably right guess. Judal spun around in his place, not believing how twisted Al-Tharmen is. " …And what of the bodies?" He might regret asking this but he wanted to know. 

Sol formed a pained smile. "Disposing a body is an easy feat for them. They have done this for over ten decades." 

With a heavy breath, Judal bit his inner cheek. He tightly closed his eyes. Damn, this wasn’t twisted anymore. This was downright brutal. Suddenly, Judal turned around and his finger pointed at Sol, shivering while at it. 

"What is that tattoo on your forehead?" His eyes widened at the sight, now it seemed more gruesome as he continued looking at it. Meanwhile, Sol's eyes temporarily rested on looking upwards on his 'tattoo' before looking back at Judal, his lips formed a smile. 

"My dear Judal, this is bona fide." 

Judal's lips quivered. The tattoo was actually the real Eye of the Magi Sol was talking about earlier! But… 

He didn’t recall seeing any of Sol's face or information in the pages of the survivor. Judal narrowed his eyes to Sol. 

"Ah, my cover is blown," said Sol, simply. "I figured now you see why you need to run away?" His lips quirked up a lopsided smile. 

This whole thing was too supernatural for him as Judal fainted on the floor.


	7. An Eye for An Eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone! For this chapter, I must say it contains a lot of genres, and I don't know how to describe it. BUT, there's some graphic scenes in which if you want to avoid reading, you can skip it. It was after Judal did *something* to Ryuu. 
> 
> However crappy this chapter is, please do enjoy it! ;w; Toodles!

Several number of rings were heard before the call was picked up. "Hello, Masrur?" 

"Yes, chief?" 

"Can you do me a favor?" 

Sinbad restlessly walked back and forth in front of his desk. The office was exceptionally messy, a proof of his hard work for the big subjugation. At a corner, Jafar was spotted having a bluetooth earpiece attached to his ear. 

"Yes, Pisti, we need all the help we can get." Ja'far's hand scribbled something on his notebook, his mouth busy chattering away. "Also, don't forget to contact the cops, ask for a SWAT team at least." 

A gasp was heard on the other side, before a French accented voice continued, "What are we trying to do, catch a dragon?" 

The assistant huffed, eyes rolling helplessly. "If it's a dragon, I'm sure we only need you." 

Pisti chuckled at his reply. "While I am flattered by your compliment, that still doesn’t answer my question." 

The line went silent for a moment, and Ja'far knew he had to reveal the truth or Pisti won't yield. "… We are trying to catch a criminal-inspired organization called Al-Tharmen." 

"Crime?!" 

Ja'far loudly shushed her, trying not to disturb Sinbad and Masrur's conversation on the other end of the office. 

"Sorry, sorry. But _crime_? Ja'far, do you think this is a good idea?" 

He heaved a sigh. If he has to explain the reason they are taking on Al-Tharmen to every single member of the alliance, Ja'far needed to ask an overtime pay from his boss; In fact, he's going to ask it soon. "It's okay, Pisti. Sinbad is taking care of the police's cooperation with us. All you need to do is give them a call, say you're an ally of Sindria & Co., and help them during the assault." 

Pisti later ended the call after muttering an _okay_. Deep inside, Ja'far knew the petite lady was still unsure about this move, but it was always Sinbad's task to make decisions for their small group, which inevitably making him the leader of the company. The assistant later looked on his next to-call list: Yamraiha. A huge sigh automatically came out. 

Out of all their companions, Yamraiha was the closest in place, but she was the toughest to handle. 

"Oh my God, Ja'far, thank God you called. Hey, do you happen to know about this guy named Shah Rukh Khan? I saw him once on the tv and Good Lord, he's just so hot with that beard, I can't help it, I tried to Google some of his movies and there's like a bunch of it--" 

And Ja'far thought he lost his attention to the Californian girl's rant for almost two hours. Still, better than Spartos who's residing in Iceland. 

Secretly, Ja'far was thankful it was Sinbad's job and not his. 

"Okay, Spartos, do you understand the instructions?" 

"…" 

"I… Take that as a yes. So, if anything, feel free to call me, okay?" 

"Okay." 

There was a heavy silence before Sinbad decided he couldn’t take it anymore. "Spartos, come on, it's been thirteen years! Don't we have a lot of things we could talk about?" 

"No." 

Sinbad can only sigh. "Okay… Make sure to call the cops before this Sunday." And the leader didn’t need to take a second look to know that Spartos already hung up. He scratched his head. No matter how many times he thought about it, he still can't recall at how the fuck did he pick up all these weird people as his friends -- Now all stand up together as Seven Seas Alliance -- with everyone scattered around the world. 

As he looked down at his phone, Sinbad thought back at his plan. All his friends were assigned one headquarter of Al-Tharmen, the ones he couldn’t reach in the alotted time, but all in all, he's missing one: The one in Islamabad. Silently, he chewed on his lower lips. Sending Ja'far would mean one less manpower on his side, and it's not like he can't do anything without his assistant (no matter how much Ja'far denied that fact), and moreover, he's more than capable of creating a one-man army, but if he can, he doesn’t want to let Ja'far go alone. 

"Hey," called Ja'far on the sofa, sitting tired after a day of busting all his efforts on the table. Sinbad gave him a glance. "Alibaba?" 

His golden eyes widened at the name. " _No way!_ " said him childishly. "You yourself know he's our rival!" 

"Oh, now this one you approved as your rival?" Ja'far smirked at his remark. 

"Shush you. Alibaba…" Another sigh came from the purple-haired man. "Alibaba is hard to manipulate." 

"But he's easy to cooperate if it's for a good cause." 

Sinbad stayed standing at one spot, quietly contemplating Ja'far's words. "I guess you're right," said him as he admitted defeat. "But you call him." 

A stranged look was given to Sinbad. "But he's _your_ nephew." 

"I know!" Sinbad formed a pout. 

"Alright, alright, lose that ugly face. I'll call him." Ja'far's hands quick to call Alibaba's number, successfully ignoring Sinbad's denial at the back. 

* * *

Right after they finished with their agenda, they were both summoned out of their offices by one of the staff. As they went down together, and stepped out of the elevator, Sinbad's body froze as he saw who asked for his presence at the receptionist desk. 

The pale man, Judal, was dressed in simple black shirt with jeans, accompanied by a small backpack, and he was standing there, looking outside as he waited. 

"Jude?" 

The name made Judal turned around, and almost by instinct, he smiled. Although, he didn’t dare to do more than that, he knew his history with the CEO was far from forgotten. 

"Any particular business you need?" asked Sinbad, his voice cold and unwelcoming. The warmth in his eyes was gone in a blink. 

Judal can't help but feel disappointed about it. 

"Aww, stupid chief," dragged Judal as he drew closer to Sinbad, his cunning smile plastered on his lips. "Don't be like that. We used to go out together, remember?" He formed a fake pout, acting shamelessly cute in front of the two. 

"Go out?" asked Ja'far perplexed by his statement. "Aren't you the one from McDonald's? And you!" He turned to Sinbad with annoyance. "You said he wasn’t your ex." 

"That time, he wasn’t!" He replied in a hushed tone. He returned his glare back at Judal. "What are you doing here? If you want to stir up trouble, I would've to ask you to leave the premise!" 

Judal didn’t think Sinbad's words would hurt that much, but it did. He inhaled and kept his smile on his face. "You wound me, Sin. And to think I came all the way here just to give you _extra_ information…" 

They both perked up at the mention of information, and it reminded Judal of meercats. He chuckled at the thought. 

"Don't you guys have a cafeteria or something? I'm seriously starving here," said him as he looked around to find any trace of lounge or pantry. 

Closing his eyes while sighing, Sinbad answered, "West wing, not far from here." He started to lead the two as he walked towards a good discussion place. Meanwhile, Ja'far was busy checking out Judal's outfit, figure, and definitely his behaviour. He silently cursed Sinbad for not finding a more decent person to go out with, because it has to be a brat and simultaneously a nuisance. Although, as he thought further, he was grateful that they're no longer dating each other. 

As soon as they sat down at a secluded place, away from prying ears, Judal took out his college notebook, and Ja'far almost sneered at the sight. "What? Want us to help with your Calculus homework?" 

A glare as sharp as knife was thrown towards Ja'far, and crimson orbs almost spat fire on obsidian ones. "For your information, Freckles, I scored a perfect A+ on Calculus," said Judal almost jeering. "And no, I don't need your C-level minds to train me how to Calculus." 

Ja'far almost sprung at Judal if not Sinbad looking at him, sending a telepathy to calm him down. He huffed, settling himself back into his seat. At the side, Sinbad pinched the bridge of his nose. It was as if Ja'far was the one handling his ex instead of Sinbad's. 

"Please get to the point as soon as you can,Jude--" 

"It's Judal." 

Sinbad's golden orbs let a level stare on Judal for a moment, before his mind can change Jude's name to his real one. "Okay, Judal, please say what you want to say and get this over with. We both have a lot of work waiting for us upstairs." 

"Cool." He flipped open his college book, revealing a sketched blueprint of a building. It's all a cluster of vague lines and obsolete symbols in which Ja'far and Sinbad can't contemplate, and Judal can see that from their WTF looks. "Calculus, my ass," Judal muttered under his breath, and Ja'far almost turned into an ogre if Sinbad hadn't hold onto his arm. 

"As you can see, here, is the entrance of Al-Thamen's building." Judal pulled out a pen and put on a pair of glasses. "I will get into the control and CCTV room at approximately 8:15 PM after my class, and from that point on, I will tell you on the safest route inside, steal their important datas enough to make a solid proof, and get the fuck outta there." As their eyes follow the pen to navigate through the supposed building, they imprinted as much as they can before the attack on the building this Sunday. 

Before Sinbad could protest at how lack of action it's going to be, Ja'far already asked, "Where does the cops wait?" 

"The cops will be waiting at the back door, the roof, and from the next building. They will secure the exit for you, just so you can have escape options open," explained Judal. "I suppose you two have a plan on breaching the security on your own." 

"Plumbing," said Sinbad involuntarily. 

"Bullscrap." Judal scoffed at their idea, complete with an eyeroll, portraying how much of a ridiculous idea it was. "Get in as Electrical Engineers. From what I see, they are in dire need of circuit correction." 

They both nodded. "But… That's it? No fighting or anything?" asked Sinbad almost disappointed. 

Judal snorted softly. Sinbad always wanted to show-off, no matter the place. "Fine, if you see any resistance, feel free to punch them into a wall." 

Ja'far only gave a side-eye to Sinbad who's already half-smiling. 

"One more thing." Judal tapped his pen on his lips. "By Saturday, I will acquire a… power that I will use to assist you. So, all I can say is," he looked into the distance as he tried to find the appropriate word, "prepare to get amazed." He delivered a confident smirk to Sinbad. 

The CEO can feel his feelings for Jude resurfaced as his heart thumped hard at the sight of the smirk. Jude might've been a soft and adorable young lady, and Judal was scornful, his remarks were toxic, but there was something about his sass that remained a favourite in Sinbad's heart. 

He has got to stop thinking like this. 

"What are you looking at, stupid chief?" 

Whoever Judal was disguising as, his voice will be never fail to annoy someone at first sight. 

* * *

Ryuu didn’t know what change of heart Judal had, but after he got back from downtown, he urged Ryuu to sightsee on the island Kougyoku was on. She was taking a vacation there, thank God it was also Spring Break at their college, so Ryuu and Judal had some time to spend with her. 

Judal had moved with secretion in his plan, and today was no exception. He checked the latest time a boat can leave the mainland. It appeared that he didn’t have much time left. Today was Thursday, and tomorrow he had bigger things to do. As he walked towards the pier, he chatted with Ryuu as cheerfully as he can, just to get his friend's suspicion off him. 

"Quickly, Your Imminence! The boat will leave in ten!" shouted Judal as he ran towards the boat, laughing while at it. It almost stung Ryuu at how nostalgic it felt. 

"I told you to stop with that title, goddammit!" shouted Ryuu in a voice just as high. His backpack bounced in sync with his body as he skipped towards Judal at the pier. He rushed into the boat before it got closed off. 

It took him almost a full five minutes into the boat before he realized that Judal wasn’t behind him. "Judal?" called Ryuu as he retraced his steps back to the entrance. No signs of his friend anywhere. "Judal?" Ryuu called him once again, this time he took the time to find Judal from every corner he could find. 

"The boat will leave in three minutes," said the speaker above his head. "Everyone please remain seated until it is safe to unbuckle the seatbelts." 

This time, Ryuu became increasingly restless. He walked as swiftly as he can, almost to the point of running in the small cabins and alley. "Judal?!" shouted him. This time, he raised his voice to make sure Judal heard him from whatever corner he's in. After a few minutes passed, he pulled out his Nokia and wasted no time in calling his friend. 

The other end picked up quick. "Judal?!" said him as soon as he heard the click. 

"…" 

"Judal, where the fuck are you? Don't scare me like that!" 

"Ryuu, I'm sorry." 

"What?" Ryuu wandered towards the entrance of the boat without him realizing it, and from the small window at the door, he saw Judal still standing at the pier, his face solemn. 

"Wait, Judal!" 

Ryuu was about to put a halt to the boat, in order to tell the driver that he forgot one passenger, when suddenly Judal exclaimed, "Stay!" 

"But you're not in here!" addressed Ryuu, still confused by the situation. 

"Ryuu," continued Judal, his face stayed serious. "Al-Tharmen will be destroyed the day after tomorrow." 

Ryuu almost couldn’t believe his ears when he heard that. "What do you mean?" 

"I will put a stop to it." 

"You alone?" replied Ryuu, his eyes still at Judal who's outside. The boat slowly moved away from the pier, ready to take off. "Wait, shit! Judal, it's moving!" 

"I know." 

"Then why are you not in here?!" 

"Because I need you to go away from here." 

Everything falls into place in Ryuu's mind now. The secrecy, the silence, the outing downtown. "Why me alone? What are you going to do, Judal?" 

Judal gave him a silent answer again. 

"Answer me!" 

"You're like a brother to me, Ryuu," said Judal, his gaze were also stuck at Ryuu's figure in the boat. "Don't come back unless it's safe. Al-Tharmen will try to find you." 

"Shit! You're not answering my question!" Ryuu furiously tried to pry open the door, which was locked in a way he didn’t know, to his dismay. "Judal! Don't do this to me!" 

Judal bit his lower lips, hiding his emerging sob. His gaze started to wet with tears as he saw Ryuu and the boat sailed into the sea. On the other hand, Ryuu, who had given up on trying to get Judal back, stay seated helplessly on the floor. "Don't do this to me…" whimpered him. 

He promised to himself that he will protect Judal, and now his friend was marching to death with him stuck in the boat like a cage. He felt like a fool. His tears of frustration crept up his eyes and spilled onto the floor. 

"Judal…" 

* * *

Judal thought the employees would at least be subtle about their experiments, but today, he was literally dragged away from the library by two buffed men into a place full of people, masking their faces with a white cloth and wearing black robes. He was lying down at the center of the hall, around him were candles at each point of the star drawn on the floor with a chalk. 

The room was filled with murmuring noises from the people, and Judal suddenly felt bile going up his throat. The atmosphere was so sickening, and Judal thought he smelled a faint scent of blood. He tried to repress his vomit as best as he can. 

Suddenly, four men came forward. One was holding Judal's arms, the other his feet. The one at Judal's head was holding a knife, and Judal almost peed himself at the sight; The shine that bounced off the knife was like intimidating him. 

_Seriously, no anesthetic whatsoever?_ he thought as the knife was lowered at his forehead. Judal tried not to be nervous, because damn that can only result in higher rate of blood circulation, and that's equal to blood loss. He wanted to gain that Eye of the Magi, not lose his life. 

The pain that shot up on his forehead, however, sent Judal screaming. It hurts. It hurts to the seventh hells and back! His screech bounced off the walls back into his ears, and he was frightened, frightened at how tortured it sounds. As he shivered at the pain, someone held his head still. 

The one who cut open his head steadily held his knife, and from there, he came upon Judal's skull. He brought out a small axe, and without hesitation, smashed an opening for him. Judal's raising yell were ignored by the lot. From behind him, a person with the same outfit presented a black eye on a tray. The man immediately grabbed the eye and shoved it into Judal's forehead as soon as the slice was big enough. 

Judal almost fainted at the pain, but he only gulped in between his endless screaming. He didn’t know where he was contained, wherever the fuck this hall was; Because he was pretty sure he's shrieking at the top of his lungs, and yet there's nobody coming to save him. After what felt like forever, the pain sent Judal into drowiness. His screaming become softer and softer, and afterwards letting it fall into complete silence. 

* * *

It was probably Saturday afternoon that Judal woke up, his head bandaged and he's back in his dorm room. Beside his bed, a bag of blood was linked to his arm, hooked onto a pole higher up there. His head was still dizzy as he sat up. 

It felt like a nightmare that won't leave his mind. He can still remember the pain he was put through, and how he shivered at the pain, wishing he was dead. Death was a better getaway than going through it again. But that's not all. 

He's alive and he can very much see the air in his room. He was puzzled at the discovery, and that's probably what Sol meant when he can see the energy of the world, now he has obtained the Eye of the Magi. Judal gathered up his strength, his hand stripped the wire off of him, and he walked with much difficulties to the window. 

He can see something like cream-colored birds running around, and also some black birds he thought was crow, but upon second look, it was actually the darker version of the fairer birds. However, he can't stay his gaze for too long. The pain from yesterday still nesting, eating and feeding at his flesh, underneath the bandage. He decided today he would go to a library and study on the Eye of the Magi, and maybe on how to use it; He wouldn’t lay so much hope on the latter because Al-Tharmen probably wouldn’t let a book like that just laying around. 

In under two hours, Judal regained enough strength to bring himself to the library, and as he settled down at one of the tables, several books in hand, he can't help but think that this studying session would go easier if he has Sol. He let out a soft sigh. 

"You called?" 

His head almost got sprained from the sudden jerk to the right. At his side, sat Sol with a poker face, his sunglasses were nowhere to be found and he's in a strange clothing that involved a white crop top and a loose skirt. "What in the world--" 

"Well, you asked for me, didn’t you?" Sol smiled. Judal also found out that he appeared to be younger than he was before. It's probably the sunglasses. 

"Kinda." He looked back on the books he collected, all of them contained bits of scripture about the Eye, and considering the time he took to go to the library, he didn’t plan on wasting anymore time on unnecessary details. "Can you…" he turned to Sol, "…tell me what this Eye does, and how it can help people?" 

Judging from Sol's content smile, Judal knew he hit a jackpot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I didn't mean to make Sol an appearing character in this, but he just fits. 
> 
> Also, fairy Sol tho :3


	8. A Company Corrupted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story is reaching the end! I can't believe it! (It's not like it has been long lol I'm just emotional)  
> I've been trying to be technical about this chapter since it's about plans, but I'm not a person who think hard and long so if this chapter doesn't make sense to you, feel free to... make some sense into it? 
> 
> Anyway, enjoys! <3

Judal leisurely strolled into Al-Thamen's main building, its front bearing the façade of a local law firm. He quickened his pace after walking past security standing intimidatingly at the entrance. As he maintained a poker face, he managed to catch few glimpses of suspicion from the corner of his eyes. 

_We see everything._

Like hell Judal would forget what Falan said. That was the point where Judal realized he got caught in this mess. Once again, he tried to brush off the glances on his back; It shouldn’t be weird for a student to come up to the building. They have been visiting their instructors since day one after all. And not to toot his own horn, but Judal's poker face was top-notch. 

Even with disturbed feeling gnawing at his heart, Judal still made it, unknowingly, to Falan's office. Considering from their uneasiness, Judal can guess that they have their own plan on refuting his silent assault, but that can wait. First, he has to secure Sinbad and Ja'far's entry and exit. 

* * *

Meanwhile, the duo who were waiting for Judal's phone call, now were standing outside Al-Thamen's building. Their disguising van were safely parked at a hidden corner not far from there. Ja'far's hands were quick to take out their 'tools' for the job and went to join Sinbad hanging out at the hood. In Sinbad's grip laid his smartphone, put in silent mode and connected to a bluetooth earpiece hidden beneath his haywire purple bangs. Once again, he looked at the clock displayed on his phone and muttered, "any minute now." 

Right after he said that, the phone's screen lit up revealing Judal's name, however still written as 'Jude' on Sinbad's phone. He winced. "Gotta change that soon," said him as he took the call. "Hello?" 

"Alright, get in." 

Simple instructions were the only thing they need to barge into the Al-Tharmen headquarters. Sinbad slid his phone into his pocket, casually walked into the building with the call still going on silently. They were both dressed in blue onesie, a worker's outfit for electric companies, with lost of pocket to hold their tools. Ja'far tightened his grip on the toolbox, waiting for the security to let Sinbad's fake electrical report pass. After a firm nod, they head towards the elevator in no time. 

"The computer holding database is at the 4th floor. One of you are going to the 2nd floor, fix the lamps and stuff over there, and the other one use stairs to head to our real objective," instructed Judal as soon as he saw their figures passed through the elevator CCTV. His back was leaning against the lush chair, hands on the armrests, and legs high up on the counter, crossing the other in the most casual pose. His blood red eyes occasionally looked down upon the unconscious figures on the floor; two guards knocked out because of his doing. 

Judal glanced in between the guards and the elevator's security feed, and his eyes noticed something… "Why are your faces smudged dirty?" 

"Oh, this is grease," answered Sinbad blankly. 

Puzzled look remained on Judal's face. "…Why?" 

"Sin's idea," said Ja'far flat. 

"You guys are _electrical engineers_ not car mechanics." A long sigh was heard from his bluetooth earpiece. "Dumbasses…" 

"But wouldn’t it be better if they don't recognize us?" replied Sinbad, still standing with his idea. 

"The only thing engineers have on their faces are frown and wrinkles." 

That managed to make Sinbad scrunch up his face. "No wrinkles are allowed on my face until I hit seventy." 

"You already have them," said Ja'far and Judal at the same time, surprising Sinbad at how good their timings were. The elevator door dinged and Ja'far was the first to step outside, leaving Sinbad in that spot searching for wrinkles at his reflection. 

* * *

The duo split up upon reaching 2nd floor: Sinbad went to do the fixing job while Ja'far went to retrieve the important datas. Without wasting anymore time, Judal started a three-person call connecting all of them, and his eyes frantically searched for any dangers moving towards them. 

"Cops are on their position, aye?" asked Judal. 

They both 'yes'ed at it, and Judal immediately focused back on the security feed. "Freckles, turn left on that corner. Find a computer at the very front and the password is 3410995, and Sin, _what are you doing_?" 

From afar, Sinbad was seen busy scratching his neck while staring at the switch box. In front of him were a tangle of wires of every color, and he didn’t have a clue on where to start. "Uh, I don't know! I don't have a degree on this!" told him. 

Judal managed out an exasperated sigh. "Take a look at the fuse, stupid." 

While he was too engrossed on talking and guiding them, a groan was heard and a shadow crept closer and closer to Judal's sitting figure. He only realized that one of the guards had woken up when he was standing next to him, but it was too late. 

Judal's head slammed on the counter, and a strong hand glued his face on it, his right arm getting pulled backwards. The phone fell from his grasp and the sound of confrontation brought Ja'far and Sinbad's attention. From the phone call, they heard Judal growling in pain. 

"Judal?" 

"What happened?" 

It would be a little silly asking those questions when he's obviously restrained here, one side of his face flat on the counter. He growled again. The Eye's wound was still fresh, and now it's stinging upon extra force exerted from the outside. With the pain and rage driving him, Judal opened his Eye of the Magi, and stared right into the man's soul. 

"Get shocked, motherfucker," whispered him. 

As soon as the words were spoken, the Eye moved languidly on Judal's forehead, giving out squished sounds before settling on the man, sending a few lightning strikes to his face. His scream echoed in the room (Judal silently hoped there's nobody else outside) and after a couple of seconds, the attack stopped and the man fell to the ground with his face dark and deconstructed. 

Judal stood up straight, stared at the lifeless body with a somber face, and went back to his phone. A few strands of his hair fell down on his shoulders, a sign of after-struggle and was now partially undone."Yo." 

"Judal, are you okay? / Is everything alright?" 

A barrage of concerns came flying from the two, and Judal chuckled. "Still very much alive. Sorry to disappoint you." From the Eye of Magi, a stream of blood came trickling down, and Judal flicked it away with his thumb. _For the first time use, this injury is not bad._

They never thought they would sigh in relief after hearing Judal's sarcastic voice again. 

"Did you get what you need, Freckles?" 

Ja'far's eyes looked back on the screen. "Almost done." 

Judal nodded. "Alright, Sin, keep up with the appearance. Ja'far, as soon as--" 

All of a sudden, the siren blared in the building, alarming the people inside including the three perpetrators. 

"Ah shit," cursed Judal, "did they caught us already?" 

"What do we do?" asked Sinbad, worried. 

"I'm done!" Ja'far quickly pulled out his thumbdrive from the USB slot. 

"Good! Now listen up." Judal looked around to make sure the other guard wasn’t awake yet. "Come down to the 3rd floor, turn left from the stairs then turn right. It's the CCTV room and I'm in there. We regroup." 

They both moved right after the instructions were delivered, and not long after that, Sinbad and Ja'far arrived at the room, giving Judal some troubled glances. 

"Lock the door," ordered Judal, and Ja'far proceed to push the lock in. 

"Now, what?" asked Ja'far. "We're trapped like a mouse in here." 

"Can't say," said Sinbad. "The others don't know we're here yet. From what I know, our steps have been flawless--" 

"--Well, other than me kicking his ass and his scream was loud, it was pretty flawless," interrupted Judal, shrugging his shoulders. The CEO and his assistant went to look at the burned face lying not far from them and Ja'far thought he would throw up there and then. 

"What did you do to him?!" asked the white-haired man in a hushed tone. 

Judal pointed a finger at the Eye. "This is the extra assistance I was talking about the day before." 

They both looked at the Eye in horror. "What is that thing?" Looking away, Judal shifted his gaze into nothingness at the side. "Some kind of enabler for me to use black magic." 

Sinbad's eyes widened in awe but Ja'far only scoffed. It was too ridiculous in his ears. "So this is what Al-Tharmen has been working on? Black magic?" 

" _Forbidden_ magic," corrected Judal, one of his hand rested on his hip. "This Eye contains the power to control all elements that exists on earth, including the very air you're breathing right now. It is more or less a peephole, that channeled a person back to their spiritual being." 

"As much as I want to know about it," interfered Sinbad, "we have no time for it right now. I can hear some footsteps running outside." His golden eyes glared at the door, and from underneath it, the shadows of men frantically running outside were honestly scaring them. 

"Okay, here's the thing." 

* * *

Al-Tharmen's security guards were standing in front of the CCTV room with full caution. Intruders were made known to reside in the room, waiting for a chance to spring out and attack them. Before they could think about an offense, the locked door blasted open. 

Smokes rising from the room, and a blurry figure dashed out, running towards the empty hallway which wasn’t occupied by them. They chased after the hooded crimson shadow without thinking, leaving no one behind to guard the room. 

"This is our chance!" said Ja'far, with sweat accumulating at his palm. Adrenaline rush started to kick in. 

Sinbad nodded. "Let's go." 

They quickly moved towards the stairs, ran down the steps in haste, and smashed the glass door entrance with their bodies. Brushing off the glass shards off their shirts, Sinbad and Ja'far carefully stood back up to find three police cars parked in front of the building, cops ready on their positions with guns in pocket. 

"Anybody else in there?" asked one of the cops, probably as the acting leader for the operation. 

"Al-Tharmen," answered Ja'far short, but Sinbad quickly continued, "Judal!" His assistant gave him a weird look. "He's part of Al-Tharmen, Sin." 

"How could you?!" said Sinbad, perplexed by Ja'far's statement. "He helped us! A lot!" 

Ja'far seemed to be conflicted for a second before replying, "he probably has taken into account our betrayal. There's no need to defend him." 

"No!" Sinbad's eyes wandered back into the building, now frantic with siren noise and shouting from people within. "I'm going to save him." 

" _Self-destruct programme activated. The building will explode in five minutes._ " 

A robotic female voice was heard from the entrance, and Sinbad's eyes nearly rolled out of its socket because of the shock. With full force, he sprinted back into the building. 

"Sin!!" shouted Ja'far. 

* * *

He didn’t know what drove him to do this. Judal is nobody to him, only an ex he wanted to forget. A crash was heard upstairs, and Sinbad pinpointed the location before going back to sprinting. He has got to warn Judal about the self-destruct. In under five minutes, nonetheless. 

Before he could head upstairs, a thin figure clad in red sweater already crashed onto him, revealing Judal in a panting mess. 

"Judal," said him in his haste. His hands grabbed Judal's sleeved arm. "We have to get out. The building will explode in five minutes!" 

"What?!" yelled Judal in disbelief. "These people are nuts!" 

"Where are the guards?" 

Almost as if on cue, shouts were heard from above. "There," responded Judal, already tired from the running. 

It almost laughable at how low Judal's stamina was, Sinbad reminded himself. 

"We have to keep running or we won't make it in time." Sinbad tugged Judal's sleeves, urging him to keep running but Judal was already out of breath. 

"Drag me if you want. I'll try to keep up," said Judal in heaving breaths. "If I'm too much an inconvenience, just leave me." 

"As if!" And he started running downstairs, his hand never leaving Judal's. They both ran as fast as they could to the ground floor (He didn’t even know how Judal ended up in 6th floor, probably parkour again). 

" _Self-destruct in thirty seconds._ " 

"Shit!!" cursed Sinbad. The clock must've ticked down while he was searching for Judal. Beside him, Judal was already slowing down. "Judal, come on! The entrance is near!" 

Judal, having used so much of his Eye, was now bleeding profusely from the wound, and his face was a smudge of blood and sweat. His already waning strength didn’t help when he doesn’t have much of it from the beginning. His pants became clearer and clearer, and in a matter of seconds, it was all he could hear. Before he could suggest for Sinbad to leave him behind, his petite body was hoisted onto Sinbad's broad shoulders. 

"Damn, you weigh like nothing," jestered Sinbad with a nervous smile. He already resumed his running, his thick arm secured Judal's position. 

" _Self-destruct in ten._ " 

_Will we make it?_ thought Judal. His darkening gaze caught a few silhouettes chasing after them, probably the guards. Poor them, they will die soon. And they probably will too. 

He tried to look forward. The entrance was in sight. 

_"Self-destruct in three, two, one."_

From underneath the building, a huge spark of flames blossomed, burning and destroying everything the occupants have. Pieces of doors and windows flew outward, damaging everything close by. The cops and civilians had already evacuated the buildings next to it, and they took cover in the nearest subway station. Meanwhile, Ja'far looked at the burning building with eyes full of horror. 

"SINBAD!" 

Not far from the entrance, he caught two figures laying on the ground, both still in one piece. The one in red sweater was the first to come back to consiousness. 

Judal coughed lightly, smokes still felt bitter in his lungs. At the moment, his Eye was stinging to its very core, but Judal's concern wasn’t on that. His eyes settled on Sinbad's still body. He reached out to his shoulders, shaking it with all the strength he have left. 

"H-hey…" croaked him. Sinbad was still silent. Judal retracted his hand and saw a pool of blood underneath Sinbad's torso. He gasped. 

Slowly shaking his head, he went closer to Sinbad. "Sin, wake up…" Judal swore he could hear a slight sob in his own voice, but that didn’t matter. "Sin, dude, come on…" A little slap was inflicted on Sinbad's dusty cheek, but he got no response. 

Something came to his mind and Judal thought the world had ended. 

_Sin is dead._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry.


	9. A Company Corrupted: Falan & Ryuu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I have been gone for too long ._. I apologize. FFXIV is to be blamed.

Falan almost jumped at the sudden knock on the door, too loud for a small room like hers. She muttered a heavy "come in", head dizzy with her elongated stare at computer screen. 

Judal came in holding a few papers stapled together, his backpack saddled neatly on his red long-sleeved sweater -- The fact that it was a tad too big doesn’t bother Judal at all, he actually almost drowned in it. He looked at Falan and she signaled on the chair placed in front of her desk. He sat down quietly. 

The student didn’t forget the coldness that seeped right into his bone in his previous visit. That front never changed in Falan's office. It's probably a weird fixation of hers to get as freezing as she can in here, or she simply doesn’t have a thing called cold receptor. 

"Yes, Judal? What about?" A question from Falan snapped him out of his trance. His gaze went back to the paperwork he had set up for the course. 

"It's about the Company Corruption criteria, Falan," said him low. He put the paperwork on the desk and pushed it at Falan's direction. She raised an eyebrow. 

"A blank title?" asked her. 

"I know, I know." He raised both his palms, stopping Falan from lecturing him about the format of the paperwork. "But believe me, other than that, the context, introduction, conclusion, details on time and place, it's all in there." 

Falan seemed unconvinced by it but Judal urged her to flip through with a cocky smile, and she did. He was right, the paperwork minus the title was otherwise complete. "I will still need a title and the name of the company." 

Judal's eyes shone with a dangerous look on her. "You will know soon enough." 

* * *

_"Self-destruct in three, two, one."_

The fire that sprung from below the building licked everything to ashes. Falan wasn't involved in the operation of catching the culprit who turned out to her own student, Judal. She was trapped in her office, with smokes and fire rising up to the ceiling. She found herself slowly losing consciousness as she tried to find a way out. A bright figure suddenly came out of nowhere, settling in front of her with two graceful legs. She looked up. 

"What do you want, Solomon?" asked her venomously. She coughed several times. The smokes were starting to get to her. 

Sol looked at her with eyes of pity. "Falan, there's still salvation for you. Let me help …" He extended a helping hand to her but it got smacked immediately. 

"I don't need your pity, you traitor!" 

The look on Sol's face didn’t falter. "How much more lives must you consume to get back your son?" 

"I would use the whole world, if I have to!" shouted Falan, losing composure over the pressure building in. "I will find an Eye that can bring Tess back!" The angelic figure was shocked. Sol later sighed. 

"Your soul… It's pitch black." 

Silently, Falan chuckled. "What's a single soul to compare with the reward," said her, growing weaker by the moment. "I'd gladly lay down my life for my son…" 

Her figure went further downwards, and seconds later, were touching the floor, her eyes getting ready to close. The fire and smoke had overwhelmed her office, which was now bearing an aftertaste of the unleashed lesser hell. She hyperventilated. Sweat beading on her forehead as it struggled to stay alive. 

"I'm sorry, Falan. Your time is up." Sol stood still at his place. Falan's eyes glanced up to him one last time. Sol's gaze had changed; Now it emitted a grave sense of solemnness. "From here, you're on your own, my friend." 

Her body wilted as she exhaled her last breath. 

* * *

Ryuu looked behind him, as if he felt a gentle breath applied at his neck. Later, he looked forward, brushing off the goosebumps. It could be the breeze of the evening. 

He carefully climbed the upward slope of the hill, catching up with his cousins, Kouha and Koumei. At the top were Hakuei, Kougyoku and Kouen, standing and waiting in front of a huge tomb with Siamese writing in perfect vertical. It was the annual visit to their ancestors' grave; Paying respects to them was something that runs in their family since the beginning. They brought a few expensive food, burnt some incense, and knelt down together in front of the tomb, led by Kouen. 

After the small ceremony ended, Ryuu looked behind him. He would be lying if he wasn’t taken aback by the sheer number of people attending it. It's probably from the rival companies and Kou's branches. As he stay dumbstruck there, his eyes caught a spiky red hair not far from where he's kneeling. It was like a red dot in the sea of people in his gaze, he can't help but stare at the anomaly. 

The person apparently caught Ryuu staring at him, and he looked back at him with a hint of smile. Ryuu faced forward with a tint of blush seeping across his cheeks. He thought it was immature of him to stare at something unusual for so long. The crowd dispersed after a while, some went to meet with Kouen, some headed straight back. 

"Are you attending school?" asked a voice from behind Ryuu. He turned. It was the red-haired guy from before! Ryuu silently gulped. What did he do? 

"Y-yes." 

The man let out a huff of chuckle through his nose. "Because you don't look as grown-up as the others." 

_That would explain why_. Ryuu's eyes went back to the Kou family gathering together at the front, probably discussing something about the banquet tonight. "I'm only 23." 

The man nodded. "Are you going into business like the others?" asked him curious. 

Ryuu swore he could've answered that easy, as easily as his past crimes for the courses, but he didn’t know why he was hesitating. It was probably the fact that he doesn’t have Judal by his side at the moment. Now he was all kinds of disabled. Moreover, he simply cannot see his future in Al-Tharmen. If he tried to gaze too long, he's afraid the darkness will swallow him in like a quicksand. He shook his head. 

"Then, what are you taking right now?" 

Without thinking, Ryuu sighed heavily at the question, showing his reluctance. 

"I… don't mean to intervene. You don't have to answer if you don't want to," said the guy apologetic, but surprisingly his face remained the same. 

"No, no," denied Ryuu hastily. "I don't know what to do with my life…" 

The guy quirked up a tender smile. "It's not too late for you to think about it. Everyone is as clueless as you are, and they keep searching for answers in their life as they go through it." He patted Ryuu's back softly, giving some encouragement to the young man. "You are not the first person to think about it, and definitely won't be the last." 

That somehow comforted Ryuu. His face fell to a less stressed look, and he gave the man a smile. "Thanks. What's your name, mister?" 

"Call me Masrur." 

Ryuu nodded. "Are you from one of Kou's branch or…?" 

"Sindria & Co." 

He nodded again, but a second later, his face wrinkled into realization. Wasn't Sindria the one whom Judal targeted before? 

"If you'll excuse me, I have an operation to attend this evening." The guy named Masrur gave Ryuu a slight bow and stepped away from him. 

"Operation?" Ryuu's question stopped him in his tracks. 

"Ah, yes," he answered, looking back at the young man. 

"May I ask what kind of operation?" Ryuu's eyes blinked with honesty, and it made Masrur blurted out a reply almost immediately. 

"Destroying a crime company." 

At his answer, Ryuu stiffened. Accidentally, he grabbed Masrur's arm. "Is it…" He lowered his tone. "Is it Al-Tharmen?" He gazed up at Masrur, wide with anticipation for the answer. 

On the other hand, Masrur deliberately looked to their left and right, making sure nobody was keeping ears on their conversation. He gave a small nod to Ryuu. "How do you know, sir--" 

"It's Hakuryuu," cut Ryuu. 

"How do you know, Hakuryuu?" 

Ryuu's lithe hand removed itself from Masrur's thick arm, placing a palm over his chest. "I am a student of Al-Tharmen." This time, he fixed his gaze at Masrur, locking him at his place. Before Masrur could ask what Ryuu wants with him, as he was clearly in the opposition, Ryuu stated, "please, I won't ask for anything else other than let me join your operation." 

A bewildered look was given to Ryuu. 

"A friend of mine is one of the masterminds," started Ryuu. "He sent me away so Al-Tharmen couldn't keep track of me and Kougyoku, but I refuse to just sit here and watch him die and do nothing!" Ryuu formed a tight fist, frustrated as to why must Judal treat him like a child. Once again, he looked up to Masrur, with a pair of pleading eyes. "Please, I won't ask anything else," begged Ryuu. 

Masrur's small eyes stared at Ryuu for a long minute. He said, "this operation will be deadly. Are you sure?" 

With unwavering determination, Ryuu nodded firmly. 

Masrur let out a rough huff. He looked at his escorts waiting at the company's car and turned back to Ryuu. "Can you fight?" 

Even if he couldn’t, Ryuu would most definitely say _yes_.


	10. The Bottom of the Trench

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I had left for so long, here's two chapters in one update <3  
> I just want to make up for lost time, and basically I can't wait to write some fluff for these two. They deserved it.

_"What does Eye of the Magi does?"_

_"It depends on the user, frankly speaking." Sol leaned back. His arm slung to the back of his chair, the other rested on the desk freckled with books Judal had picked. "If you want it for offensive purposes, it can be used for attacks. If you want it to heal people, it can be used to heal." A smirk crawled up to Sol's lips. "However, if you want to use both, It's going to be taxing."_

_The explanation threw Judal into a thought. He would most certainly need the offensive power, but having a healing control can be necessary._

_"You don't have to choose now," chuckled Sol. "When the time comes, just use it appropriately. The power will come to you."_

_"I need to control it," huffed Judal. "I don't want anything to explode on my face just because I can't control a freaking eyeball spitting thunders everywhere."_

_Sol boisterously laughed._

_"From what I can concur," said Judal as he looked back at Sol. "You **were** one of the victims?"_

_The man nodded, curly strands wiggled on his face at the motion. "You are correct."_

_"So you did have the Eye before…" His gaze settled on the tattoo-- no, eye-- on Sol's forehead. "That looks disgusting though."_

_Sol cocked an eyebrow. "Are you talking about yourself, Judal?"_

_He almost smacked his forehead at the stupidity of that comment, but he was reminded by the sudden pain chewing there. "Have you witnessed any healings done by the Eye?"_

_"In this form, I've seen many things. Restoration of life was one of the things that I did before I died."_

_His jaw slacked as he heard Sol's confession. Books completely forgotten, Judal's attention was now on Sol and his story._

_"I did live for a while after I was given this Eye. One day, my wife successfully gave birth to Aladdin, but in exchange for her life. I can't think of anything else rather than healing her as much as I could, but you know, dead is dead." Sol shrugged. "So I resorted to this last method, giving my wife a taste of the Eye."_

_A pair of red orbs stared at Sol as if he'd grown another head. "Like, eat it?"_

_Sol nodded with a smile._

_Shaking his head, Judal pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is just all kinds of disgusting…"_

_His melodious voice chuckled again. "I had to. And I succeeded."_

_Judal's head perked up. "Seriously?" asked him. Sol gave him an assured smile._

_"However, I died afterwards because of the pain and blood loss." Sol looked away, as if regretting his decision back then. "I left her alone with our child, and it was too much for her to take. She died again shortly after, out of depression." Gloom spread over his expression, and Judal can't say anything in return to comfort him._

_"How old is Aladdin?" asked Judal, trying to divert Sol's emotion to something less depressing. It apparently worked wonders. Sol beamed like a spotlight in his eyes._

_"Ah, I don't know. My sense of time has gone nuts ever since I was dead, you know." The man scratched the nape of his neck, sheepish. "What year is it?"_

_"20XX."_

_"Ah." Sol froze. Then he made a light count in his head before retorting. "Then he should be 134 by now."_

_"WHAT?!"_

_A few heads turned to Judal, glares sent to him telepathically. Judal was reminded that he's still in the library. In embarassment, Judal wrapped his braid around his neck, burying his face in the lump of hair._

_"The Eye has an ability to extend the life of its user. Once worn, the person will be immortal at most," explained Sol some more, with a toothy grin. "They use the energy of the Earth to keep themselves young."_

_"So you gave up your eternal life just for your wife?" Judal almost snorted at the line, like it's something out of soap opera._

_"Sometimes a long life is meaningless without your beloved by your side."_

_This time, Judal scoffed. "Are you talking about yourself or your wife, idiot?"_

_Sol gave a sad smile. "Probably both."_

* * *

Judal was horrified at the look Sinbad was giving. It's not a warm smile, nor a heated anger. It's just **still** , and Judal's terrified to his bones. 

As his tears crept up to his eyes, he was reminded at the time Sol told him the story. He was about to pull out his Eye when he heard a shout behind him. It was Ja'far. 

"Sin!" The figure ran straight to Sinbad, shaking his shoulders and slapping his now cold cheek. "Sin, goddammit, I said no!" A choked voice came from Ja'far as soon as he realized that Sinbad was no more than a corpse. "I told you, I told you…" 

Witnessing how sad Ja'far was, Judal can't help but blame himself. He was too cocky, running around more than he should, playing with the guards to give time for Sinbad and Ja'far to escape. In his mind, he's trying to think of a way to get the Eye out, and shit, he never asked that from Sol before. 

"Get the paramedics!" shouted Ja'far to the cops. Judal heard a few footsteps running towards them, laced with hurried shouts and orders. It was chaotic. 

_If it can find its way in_ , he thought, _it can find a way out_. 

He motioned his head backwards, as far as he can, and dashed forward, smacking his forehead violently on his palm. Blood splattered everywhere as he repeated. Several times. Scaring Ja'far as he acted like a madman. The loud slap however was engulfed in the commotion behind them. 

"Judal, what are you doing?! Stop!" 

But Judal continued. He can feel his eyes rolling to the back. The pain was almost too much for him. It's like he was thrown back to the time the Eye forced its way in. The pain. _The pain_. 

However, there's no time to waste. Before Sinbad goes into death stasis. The world can't take Sinbad's loss. His heart can't take Sinbad's loss. His eternal life be damned. He'd slay the gods to bring Sinbad back. 

By his eighth try, the Eye finally fell down on his palm as he felt it sliding down his forehead, now a gaping wound, splashing blood and throbbing pain. By this time, Judal was half-conscious. The fatigue, the lack of blood, the environment. He was barely breathing. 

Without any concern for his health, he crawled next to Sinbad, pushing Ja'far away with all his might, and put the Eye in Sinbad's mouth. He poked the Eye deeper and deeper into his throat. "Come on, come on," muttered him like a mantra. Beside him, Ja'far, who's already in tears, tried to pry him away from Sinbad's dead body. 

After he saw the trachea made its movement and swallowed the Eye, he formed a relieved smile. 

"What did you do, Judal!?" asked Ja'far. 

Judal didn’t have the energy to look at Ja'far. He answered, "giving back his life," and he chuckled under his breath. 

The paramedics arrived and took Sinbad away. A few moments later, they heard a familiar cough. The corpse was no longer dead. Ja'far almost couldn’t believe his ears, but Judal only contained a satisfied smirk. His job was done. 

The white-haired man stood up, holding Judal by the arms and waist as he assisted him to the paramedics. Halfway through, Judal can feel his breath shortening, and his gaze darkening. It was as if the journey was a thousand years away. His knees finally gave up. 

He collapsed on the floor without a sound. 

* * *

News spread like wildfire throughout the world. Al-Tharmen, a thousand year-old organization, was finally put down by a joint effort from Sindria, the cops and Kou. The serial killers were tracked down from the information they got from the operation, and half of them are now taken into custody, spending a life-long sentence behind bars. Arba, however, was still on the lose. 

From afar, a figure with long black braid was seen staring at a grave. His face solemn, stubborn on wearing any other emotions on it. He had struggled to put a bouquet of flowers on the grave, moreover when he's on a wheelchair and the cemetery wasn’t exactly spacious and made for people on wheels. On the tombstone, carved a name that leaves his heart hurt in all possible places. He had tried, but apparently it wasn't enough. 

"Judal," called Ja'far. "Let's go. It's starting to rain." 

The man couldn’t protest even if he wanted to. He can barely stand without getting dizzy, let alone fight another man. Judal nodded. Silently, Ja'far slid behind Judal's back, unlocked the wheels and pushed the man away from the grave. They left the cemetery to its serenity. 

After putting Judal at the back seat, Ja'far sat on the driver's seat, started the engine and deliberately moved to the main road, heading to Sinbad's house. 

"Are you okay, Judal?" asked a concerned voice from beside Judal. 

Judal replied with a shake his head. He didn’t want to think of his sorrow, or it will eat him alive. 

The man wiped purple strands of hair away from his own eyes. Golden orbs settled on Judal's withering figure. He didn’t say a word. Instead, he held Judal's smaller palm into his grasp, and he brought the weak hand to his lips, kissing it lovingly. 

How he wished Judal would recover from the death of his friend, Ryuu, but that was going to be a long and rocky road. Judal was now considerably weak -- weaker than he was before , mentally and physically. It was as if Sinbad dared to tear his gaze away from him, Judal would fall into a deep hole of depression. It took Judal one week to wake up from his coma; Sinbad was thankful enough of that. But the shock upon hearing his best friend's passing had left Judal as a hollow vessel. It pained Sinbad to see him like that, hence he took him in. 

From the reports he got, specifically from Masrur, Ryuu had joined him in the operation at Phnom Penh, and suffered a few casualties, including encountering the most vicious serial killer of all, Arba. Ryuu was reported trying to take her down, but she was far more experienced than him, despite her age that nearly reached 80. As a result, Ryuu suffered a deadly blow to his left temple, leaving him unconscious for a few days before he allegedly passed away. 

They never failed to visit Ryuu every week (it's been almost a month now) or whenever Sinbad has his free time. In front of Ryuu's grave was the only time Judal's face appear to light up a bit, and Sinbad couldn’t be happier. He'd even make a house for Judal at the cemetery if not thinking of his health that prohibits him from living alone. 

Quietly, Sinbad glanced at Judal beside him. There's the tears again. Sinbad scooted closer to him, pulled him into a warm hug, and Judal simply melted into his embrace. He can feel Judal's tears wetting his shirt but he could care less. He rubbed Judal's back soothingly, cooing comforting words into his ears. As the sob grew weaker, Sinbad can feel Judal's breathing grew more even. He probably fell asleep already. Sinbad kissed Judal's black crown and leaned back, Judal still in his arms. 

He prayed so everything will be better as the days go by.


	11. Stepping Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story has been a good journey for me, retracing back steps of being an author. While I might not be the best, I enjoyed writing this.  
> Thank you to everyone who has gone through weeks with me. Seriously, your kudos, bookmarks, and comments, kept me alive, not gonna lie.
> 
> P.S: A little touch to touch between the pairing so if you feel uncomfortable, feel free to skip that. It's not long :)

Judal poured some boiled water into the mug. Caffeine scent wafted into the air the moment it touched the hot liquid. He grabbed a teaspoon and scooped some sugar into the coffee, carefully stirring it without splashing hot water on himself (He's done that before during college). Satisfied with his handiwork, he put the cup of coffee on a saucer and brought it out of the pantry. 

Knocking softly on the CEO's door, he waited patiently as he examined his reflection at the mirror nearby. The company suit looked good on him -- not that anything ever looks bad on him -- and his long hair was pulled up into an elaborate bun at the side of his head, a few wild strands poked out and fell lusciously on his fair skin. A silvery glint can be seen near his collarbone; A necklace given by Sinbad in the form of white gold in snowflake shape. He said it reminded him of Judal. Petite, intricate, thorny with a hint of risqueness. 

A firm "come in" was heard from inside and Judal wasted no time in bringing in the coffee to Sinbad. He kept up a professional face and put the coffee on the table. "Your coffee, sir." 

Ja'far was standing beside Sinbad, a little scrunched up in posture, discussing something with Sinbad while showing him some of the graphs laid on the table. They both looked up to see Judal retreating back outside. 

"Ju," called Sinbad quickly, before Judal could exit the room completely. 

Judal shifted his gaze to him, puzzled. "Yes?" 

Sinbad signaled for him to come closer and asked Ja'far to leave the room, in which Ja'far formed a frown in disapproval. "Sin, it's work time," warned him. 

"I know, I know," uttered him as a reply, while beaming at Ja'far. The assistant shook his head in return, sighed, and walked out of the office. Judal stood near the table silently, waiting for an instruction from his chief. Sinbad spinned his chair to the side, pat his lap, and Judal almost eyerolled at him. 

"It's only 10 AM," said Judal. 

The purple-haired man formed a pout, and Judal's eyes rolled again. He walked over to Sinbad, sat on his lap, and rested his arms around Sinbad's neck. Sinbad's hands automatically positioned themselves at Judal's lower back, simultaneously pulling him closer. They shared a chaste kiss before talking in a low tone. 

"How's work?" asked Sinbad. 

"It's fine." 

Sinbad hummed. He recruited Judal under the pretense that he's a fresh graduate and he holds a lot of potential, but since he can't blindly make Judal his protégé (as said by Ja'far), Sinbad placed him under Ja'far's monitor, helping him doing small projects, getting to know their linking companies and most of all, being in charge for events that require bodyguards. (Judal is always on the assault so it's only fair) 

Judal leaned his head on Sinbad's shoulder. His hand traced the faint line of Sinbad's hair that fell down from his shoulder. He later peppered light touches on his partner's neck; The hard lines he usually trace with his lips instead, when nobody's looking and behind closed doors. Sinbad, on the other hand, enjoyed spending time with Judal. They don't usually talk, just cuddle, but even that was enough to destress him. But at times, Judal's touches can be overwhelming, hence it can end in a heated glance between them, promising another meet-up as soon as lunchtime hits. 

Judal pressed a soft kiss to Sinbad's neck. He whispered. "Thank you, Sin." 

Sinbad shuddered. Judal really knows where to press his buttons. "For what?" 

"For giving me a second chance." He snuck closer to his neck, breathing in Sinbad's scent; A mix of strong cologne and the salt on his skin. His exhales tickled Sinbad's skin, and it quickened his pulse. 

_He's doing this on purpose_ , thought him. After Judal recovered from his friend's death, he went back to his old naughty self. Sinbad was glad on that fact, until one point, his mischief was directed at him, and Sinbad doesn't know whether to like it or hate it. It was used to drive him past his temptation point. 

Sinbad put one of his hand on Judal's leg, rubbing it slowly. He kissed Judal's head softly. The other hand locked Judal's waist close to his body. _Two can play the game_. He smirked. The hand placed on his back later moved to tug Judal's hair, lifting it backwards and exposing a wide span of skin for Sinbad to give kiss marks. However after one love bite, Judal protested in a low whine, and Sinbad chuckled under his breath. He's the one who started it. 

Before they could go any further, they heard a knock. "Sin…" Ja'far's voice echoed from outside, with a slight warning tone. 

Sinbad 'tch'ed instantly, knowing that he was caught flirting with Judal during working hours. He looked at Judal, and that little shit was giggling. Judal lifted himself off of Sinbad and walked towards the door, and Sinbad might be seeing things as he saw Judal's butt was swaying way too sensually than normal. 

He needs to stop thinking with his crotch. 

Judal left the room, and Ja'far stepped in, closing the door behind him. His eyes were casting a look of 'extreme judgment' towards Sinbad. The man only chuckled. "Yes, what is it?" 

"You said you won't touch him at work unless necessary," reminded Ja'far, his arms crossing his chest. 

"That _was_ necessary." Sinbad pouted again. "I was stressed." He faked on trying to tidy up his work desk, but he only got a glare from Ja'far. 

"I give you an inch, you went a mile." 

Sinbad grinned a guilty smile. 

Ja'far shook his head. He saw no other way to stop Sinbad from keeping his hands off his partner in the office, hence he changed the topic. "Don't you want to, you know, change his name or something?" asked the assistant, sitting in front of him with a file waiting to be covered as soon as Judal's topic was through. 

"Why?" 

"He was a criminal, Sin. Sooner or later, he will be hunted down by someone, be it remnants of Al-Tharmen or the legal hands," addressed Ja'far, concerned. 

It gave Sinbad a thought to worry over. They had been awfully careful on hiding Judal for the past three months. While the commotion about Al-Tharmen finally died down, they know there are still whispers about its revival if they don't keep a close eye on it. And moreover, the whole organization knew about Judal's involvement in destroying it. He could be carrying over twenty million dollars on his name and doesn’t have a clue about it. 

Meanwhile, Ja'far was now one of Judal's go-to friends. He was responsible on donating some of his blood to Judal when the man was chasing death on hospital bed. When Sinbad was held for more check-ups (a lot of people call it a miracle when he's brought back to life), Ja'far was the one taking care of Judal's well-being, and Sinbad was utterly thankful for his best friend. At first, Judal was awkward around Ja'far since he was never good at making conversations, not to mention his sarcasm was always on top of the game, but Ja'far made it work. He wouldn't be Sinbad's assistant if he's not good at adapting. 

"Well, since he's your boyfriend--" 

"--Wait, what?" asked Sinbad dumbstruck. 

"… Isn't he your boyfriend now?" 

Sinbad thought back on the time spent with Judal. Then he realized that they were indeed boyfriends. Upon reaching that conclusion, Sinbad gave a shy smile. "Judal is my boyfriend," muttered him happy as he sipped some of his now lukewarm coffee. 

The assistant only eyerolled at him. "Anyway, don't you want to give him your last name or something?" 

The coffee in his mouth exploded out when Sinbad coughed. His throat stopped functioning at the mention of 'last name'. Hastily, his hands found way to some napkins and wiped the coffee stains off the furniture involved. "W-what?" 

Ja'far shrugged. "Well, it's not like I'm giving you green light, but that would do him some good, and not to mention, you did your work twice as fast. I don't see any harm in it." 

It would be crazy for Sinbad to propose to Judal when they just met seven months ago, but at the rate of where things going currently, the idea doesn’t sound bad after all. Sinbad rejoiced in that suggestion, and under Ja'far's approval nonetheless. "I'll give it a thought," said him with a stupid grin plastered. He later grabbed his pen and started focusing on his work, feeling that he's had enough distractions for the day. 

* * *

He knelt down and carefully placed the bouquet of flowers on Ryuu's grave. As he stood back up, he joined Sinbad in praying for Ryuu's peace on the otherside. The both closed their eyes, minds busy forming words after words to be muttered in silence. After a few minutes, they reopened them and stared at the grave. 

The cemetery was as silent as its usual day. The couple grew used to it after months of visiting. They regarded Ryuu as Judal's brother after all, so it was never a nuisance to Sinbad. 

"Ryuu," spoke Sinbad. "I might've never met you before, but you have been such a wonderful friend to my beloved." He held Judal's hand and brought it up, kissing his knuckles. "He's a quick learner, passionate, naughty, but for a good cause and especially for you," Sinbad paused, "he'd give up the world for you. I couldn’t be more proud of that." 

Judal was about to say something too, but he forgot about it the moment Sinbad praised him in front of Ryuu, and he stood there speechless and a blushing mess. He brought Sinbad's palm that was connected to his, and placed it on his warm cheek. His love overflowed with every moment he's with the man. 

"Ju," cooed Sinbad soft. Judal lifted his gaze to meet with Sinbad's golden eyes. "Marry me, Ju?" 

Judal instantly forgot how to breath. 

* * *

He walked away from Sinbad as far away as he could, but damn him and his long legs, he caught up to Judal in no time. His chest puffed up, his face forming a deep scowl, and his movements awkward and stiff. Beside him, Sinbad kept his stupid smile on. 

"Wait, hun, what's wrong?" asked Sinbad, having the grace to ask. Judal shot him a glare with his crimson orbs, startling Sinbad by a little. 

"How dare you!?" 

"H-huh?" 

"Why did you propose at a cemetery, idiot!?" yelled Judal. His face red with anger and embarassment. He forcefully waded through the crowd to get away from Sinbad, but the man caught his hand before he could run away any further. 

"… Is that the only thing you have a problem about?" 

It took Judal a moment for him to catch what Sinbad was referring to, and he blushed a deeper pink. He groaned deep in his throat, frustrated by Sinbad's flirtiness even at the most important moments for them. 

"Aww, I'm sorry, Ju." Gently, he pulled Judal to the side to prevent being the center of attention (as if Judal's yell wasn't loud enough). Sinbad brushed Judal's blushing cheek. The man was still looking away from him. 

"Really, I'm sorry," apologized Sinbad again, his smile didn’t falter one bit. "Next time, I'll ask on a candlelit dinner or a place more romantic, okay?" 

Judal's scowl disappeared little by little. After he had calmed down, he glared at Sinbad again (that idiot still wears a smile). "What were you thinking, moron…" Judal rolled his eyes. His boyfriend only let out a hearty chuckle. 

Upon sensing a movement at the corner of his eyes, Judal suddenly looked sharply at a side of the pavement. His eyes browsing through every head he can find, uneasy with what he had seen. It was something familiar to him, something that he missed for so long, something dear to his heart. 

"Ju?" Sinbad can almost see Judal tensing up, hence he followed the direction Judal was looking. In his sight, it was only a number of people walking across with varying objectives in mind. "What is it?" 

"It's…" Judal scanned the crowd one last time before looking back to Sinbad. "I thought I saw Ryuu." 

At a corner not far from Judal and Sinbad, stood a figure in casual jeans and baby blue shirt, facing away from them. His black hair is combed back. However, his scar that spread from his left temple to the bridge of his nose was clear for the world to see. His left eye that was affected by the healed wound turned pale blue, in contrast of his other dark blue pupil. At his right ear cupped a Nokia, held in position by his hand. 

"I told you he's fine right?" asked Kougyoku at the other end of the call. 

"Yeah," the man smiled fondly. 

"Now Ryuu, get back here so Zack's plants don't wilt. If you leave any longer, they are going to be dry sticks fit for bonfire." 

Ryuu snorted. "Don't touch them Kougyoku." And he made his way back to the nearest bus stop. "And don't ever call me Ryuu again. My name is Raya now." 

_Villains can never have a happy ending. The only way out was to kill their past selves and start anew._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll see you guys later if I ever come up with a new story. For now, have a good life <3


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